


florals for spring? groundbreaking.

by MissMairin



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Family Fluff, Fashion & Couture, Gen, Kid Fic, Kid!Shouyou, M/M, Mutual Pining, Self Confidence Issues, Single Parent AU, kid!Tobio
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-25
Updated: 2016-11-30
Packaged: 2018-05-23 02:24:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6101660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissMairin/pseuds/MissMairin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tooru considers himself a good person. An amazing one, really. He's raised his son after being quite rudely left by the mother, and Shouyou's turned out pretty alright, if someone asked him. So, when Shouyou's principal calls, saying his son had gotten in trouble for fighting, Tooru does what any self-respecting, fashion-designing-father would do. He agrees with his son: that shirt really <i>is</i> ugly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. good samaritan

**Author's Note:**

> yes the title is from devil wears prada and omg i didn't notice until just now that it was 'groundbreaking' and not 'shocking' i am so sorry and am ashamed. i went ahead and changed it HAHA [crying emoji]  
> for the sake of this fic, everyone will be referring to each other with their first names, and just assume that shouyou and tobio have the same last name as their fathers, respectively. i.e., shouyou oikawa, and tobio iwaizumi. idk if that makes sense, but there you go.

Tooru hums to himself, scrubbing the plate in hand, when his phone buzzes on the kitchen counter. Drying his hands on the wash rag, he skips over to snatch his phone up. He checks the caller ID, swipes to accept the call, and sing-songs, “What’s up, Daichi?”

 

“Hey, Tooru,” an exhausted voice comes through the speaker. Tooru immediately sympathizes. Daichi is the principal of the elementary school Shouyou attends, and quite frankly, all the students are complete  _ brats _ . Except, of course, his angel of a son, Shouyou, who could do no wrong. Or so he thought. “I really thought I’d never have to call you about Shouyou.”

 

Tooru grips the phone, just a bit too tight. His fingers turn an ugly shade of pale. He breathes in and out, slowing down his heartbeat, and shoves the negative thoughts out of his mind. That was one of his faults. He always jumped to conclusions. Instead, he tries to get the full story. Tooru grits out, “What happened?”

 

“Nothing. He’s fine, don’t worry. It’s just…” Daichi trails off, and Tooru’s mind has already supplied nine and a half scenarios. Shouyou fell off the swing, and broke his arm. Another kid called him a mean name. Shouyou had called that one obnoxious teacher ugly  _ out loud _ , and worse, _ she had heard him _ . Or maybe, his son had accidentally gotten into a fight and gotten beaten to a pulp. Many, many more horrifying ideas were clouding his mind, and Daichi has the actual nerve to  _ giggle _ . Tooru is about to yell  _ god damn it Daichi, just tell me already, _ when he hears Daichi clear his throat. “It’s just, well, Shouyou got into a fight -- I shouldn’t even say fight, because that’s not what it was. Honestly, it was more like a cat fight, you know, where there aren’t any  _ real _ hits, just a lot of yelling and swatting, I guess?”

 

Tooru sucks a breath in, and honest to god, he laughs. Because, of course, this would happen. Shouyou doesn’t have a mean bone in his tiny body, and there was no way he could  _ actually _ fight someone. Sure, he could be a little shit, but wasn’t that all kids? He leans his head against the kitchen cabinet, and slowly exhales. “Do you need me to come in?”

 

“For the sake of formality, yeah.”

 

He nods, but realizes Daichi can’t see him. Of course.  _ This is a cell phone, Tooru, people can’t see you _ , a condescending voice in his brain tells him. He tells himself to shut up. Tooru hums and says, “I’ll be there in a half hour. Save me a seat that my ass can actually fit in, would you?”

 

“Of course,” Daichi chuckles, “See you then.”

 

* * *

 

 

Tooru opens the door to the administration office, and immediately recognizes the smell of popcorn. Leave it to Daichi to eat popcorn every day of his life, and stink up the office like the old man he really is. He rolls his eyes and huffs. Someone ought to tell him that popcorn every day isn’t really good for him.

 

Tooru stands awkwardly at the entrance, unsure of what to do, since he refuses to go into Daichi’s office without permission. He prefered having ten fingers and ten toes, thank you very much. 

 

Eventually, he looks around for the line of chairs administration offices always had. The secretary sees him, scrunches her eyebrows, but points to the corner by the window, hidden by her desk. Tooru smiles and winks at her. When she doesn’t seem fazed at all, he pouts and crosses his arms. Either he had lost his charm over the years after having a son, or she’s just too old to care. Tooru hopes it was the second option.

 

When he scuffles over to the chairs, he’s surprised to see another adult sitting in the chairs. An attractive one, at that. The man is the personification of  _ hot dad bod _ , to be completely honest. Tooru fluffs his hair and slides into the chair next to him. He takes a second to look the parent over, a sharp jawline and slight scruff. 

 

Tooru’s a goner, really.

 

“Hey,” Tooru says, nudging the other man with his knee. When the man looks up, Tooru grins and waggles his eyebrows. They’re quiet for a split second, until Tooru takes a chance and jokes, “What are you in for?”

 

The man looks confused for a second, but realization dawns on his face. He chuckles and shakes his head, obviously finding the joke funny, but not wanting to admit it. Running a hand through his short hair, he smirks and replies, “Petty theft and attempted arson. What about you?”

 

“Ah, well, I caused a car accident with my beauty.”

 

Hot dad, as Tooru so expertly names him, pulls a face. On anyone else, it would have been annoying or even ugly, but on him, it was endearing. The man crosses his arms and rolls his eyes. “Of course, beauty queen. You’re awfully lucky that this is just the principal’s office, and not jail.”

 

“I know, right?”

 

Tooru is about to say something else, probably a flirty line, when Daichi shows up out of nowhere. Impeccable timing, as always. Tooru wants to scowl, but Koushi has told him time and again that he’ll get wrinkles if he frowns too much. So, for the sake of beauty, he pushes the annoyance away and plasters a smile on his face. 

 

“Hey, sorry about the wait, guys. You know kids,” Daichi says, chuckling. They did know. Tooru stands up, the hot dad right behind him, and Daichi shepherds them into his office. Over his shoulder, he tells the secretary, “Please call the two kids down to the office. Their respective parents are here.”

 

Daichi closes the door, and everyone sits. It’s only when Tooru is already seated that he realizes hot dad is  _ sitting next to him, _ and, more than likely, the dad of the kid that Shouyou scrappled with. Incredible. What kind of fate was this? Daichi’s saying something, though, and Tooru knows he should be listening. He shakes himself out of his stupor and catches, “-- coming today, on such short notice. I really didn’t want to have to call either of you, since it really wasn’t a big deal, but protocol is protocol, as you well know.” 

 

Daichi shrugs, and hot dad chuckles knowingly, nodding his agreement. Tooru feels like he missed out on an inside joke. He laughs, too, a forced one if he’s ever heard one, but they don’t say anything, so he guesses he’s okay. But still. The two were laughing like old friends, and Tooru wondered if they actually  _ were _ . Tooru isn’t mad, of course -- only offended that Daichi kept such an attractive friend a secret, and  _ how dare he _ not introduce them?

 

“Um, I’m sorry to interrupt, but about  _ the fight _ ,” Tooru air quotes the last two words, and Daichi snorts, “Is the other kid okay? I know Shouyou has a heart of gold, but he also takes after me, and I wouldn’t doubt for a second that his fingernails could mess someone up. Even on accident. Those things are frightening, you know.”

 

Hot dad full-on laughs, crossing his legs professionally. Tooru realizes he still doesn’t know the man’s name. Hot dad smiles and, almost comfortingly, says, “Tobio is a big boy. He rarely cries, and for a kid his age, he’s pretty good at handling himself. The independent type, if I’ve ever seen one.”

 

“Tobio is your son, then, and you are …?”

 

“Hajime. It’s nice to meet you --”

 

“Tooru,” he quickly supplies, a bright smile on his face. He thanks every deity out there that Hajime was smart enough to understand that that’s exactly what he had wanted. Instead of talking more to hot dad -- no,  _ Hajime _ \-- Tooru decides to actually be professional and a great father. He turns to Daichi and asks, “So, what exactly was the fight about?”

 

Daichi leans back in his Big Leather Chair (capitalization necessary) and grimaces. Tooru knew the fight itself wasn’t bad, after the phone call, but he was curious. The principal sighs and explains, “Well, actually, Shouyou was the one to start it. Surprisingly. Tobio and Shouyou were about to start playing on the playground together, when Shouyou said a mean comment to Tobio.”

 

Tooru wants to laugh, but he holds himself back. For his kid, he tells himself. But also because he wants to look good in front of Hajime, who is looking mighty serious at the moment. Tooru gestures for Daichi to continue. 

 

“Shouyou, uh, told Tobio that his shirt was ugly.”

 

At this, Tooru really does laugh aloud. He tried his very best not to, but the sound had bubbled out of him before he could stop it. Of course Shouyou had said that, Tooru was a fashion designer. The two often talked about clothes, well, as much as they could, with Shouyou being five years old. Mostly it was just about colors and how pretty they were. Shouyou is a big fan of florals, and bright, sunshine-esque colors. Along with that, Tooru let Shouyou pick out his outfits, but helped him when some of the colors clashed. His son knew what colors looked good together, even if he didn’t realize it.

 

Tooru looks up from his laughing fit to see Hajime glaring daggers at him. Now, as Tooru ignores Hajime’s  _ actual _ looks, he realizes that his fashion sense was horrifying. No wonder Shouyou told Tobio his shirt was ugly, if this is where the kid got it from. He coughs, and switches his expression to something more along the lines of disappointment. “Wow. That’s, uh, horrible.”

 

Hajime still looks irritated, but before he can say anything, there’s a knock on the door. The receptionist peeks her head in, saying something about how  _ the kids are here _ , and Daichi smiles. He motions for her to let them in. 

 

Shouyou comes bounding in, all smiles and quick motions. When he notices his dad, he yells some gibberish and attacks Tooru with a hug. Tooru quickly pulls his son into his lap, and smiles apologetically at Hajime. He hasn’t forgotten why they were here, not really. Especially when Hajime’s still looking at him with something akin to annoyance. Tooru doesn’t like it.

 

“I’m so sorry that Shouyou said Tobio’s shirt was ugly,” Tooru says first, running a hand through Shouyou’s wild hair. He was about to say something else, an addition to his apology, maybe a drawn out explanation, when Tobio actually comes through the doorway. The shirt is the first thing Tooru notices, and it makes him want to physically throw up. Tobio was actually a good-looking kid, and Tooru felt bad that he was destined to wear such ugly fabrics. The words are out of his mouth before he can stop them, “Actually, never mind. I agree. That shirt is disgusting.”

 

Tobio looks up, obviously confused to why a  _ second _ person is saying his shirt is ugly. Then, he looks to Hajime, wide-eyed, looking for an explanation. Tooru feels bad. He just insulted a little kid.

 

Then again, he muses to himself, the shirt is an insult to his lifelong career. It’s an equal exchange, he likes to think. But even still, Tooru is a nice guy, contrary to popular belief. Tobio’s a kid, for god’s sake. So, he huffs, and says, “Sorry, kid. The shirt being ugly isn’t an insult to you. If anything, I’m mad at your father for picking out such a -- such an offensive outfit.”

 

Tobio seems satisfied with this answer, but Hajime jerks his head up, glaring at Tooru. Daichi is just watching from behind his desk, he deals with enough shit at the school, he doesn’t bother getting into this argument. In fact, it’s kind of funny, evident by the amusement on his face. Tooru decides to ignore that fact, and instead, faces Hajime head-on. 

 

However, before their argument can delve any further, Shouyou interrupts. He jumps off his dad’s lap, and walks over to give Tobio a big bear hug. After the hug, Tobio looks traumatized, but also flattered. Shouyou grins, pats him on the head, and says, “Daddy’s right. Your ugly shirt isn’t your fault. In fact, you’re super duper pretty! I bet you’d be even prettier with a not-ugly shirt!”

 

Hajime looks absolutely bewildered, and he’s struggling to find something to say. When Tobio looks to his father, Hajime changes his expression to less of disgust, and more of a weak smile. It was more of a grimace, really. Tooru can’t blame him. Insults are worse coming from kids. He didn’t know why, but that’s just how life was. 

 

Tobio scrunches his hands in his pants and makes his way over to his father, burying his face in Hajime’s ugly shirt. Like this, Tooru could definitely see a resemblance. Even besides the fashion disasters, Tobio had his father’s eyes. Shouyou had taken after his mother for most everything, and suddenly, Tooru wishes he hadn’t. His son should have  _ his eyes, _ not someone’s who wasn’t even in the picture. 

 

He feels bad, like he should do something to fix this situation. Tooru sighs, loudly, dramatically. Everyone looks at him, and Tooru feels kind of proud. He still has got _ it. _ Shouyou comes back over, lifting himself up into his dad’s lap. Immediately, Tooru plays with his hair. 

 

“Your son shouldn’t be subject to this cruel and unusual punishment,” Tooru drawls, and Shouyou’s laughing, because he laughs at  _ everything, _ even if it’s only his dad’s dramatic speaking. He loves it, mostly because Shouyou’s his number one, and only, fan. Tooru wants to tickle his son, give him all the attention and love in the world, but now’s not the time. There’s better things to be doing, like how Tooru is pulling out a card from his jacket, handing it to Hajime. He’s looking disgruntled, but curious. Tooru beams. “There, that’s for you. It’s my card. I’m a fashion designer. Please rethink how you dress your son.”

 

And like that, Tooru stands, Shouyou sliding off his lap. He turns and smiles at Daichi, who nods back at him. Everyone’s quiet, but it doesn’t really matter. Tooru’s work here is done, and there’s no reason for him to stay any longer; he’ll talk to Shouyou privately about being mean. He hefts Shouyou on his back, and all he hears is squealing. His son  _ loves _ piggy back rides. 

 

Something about being tall, apparently. 

 

Together, they leave the school, they have a talk, and they get ice cream. They go home, and everything is fine. It’s easy to forget that Shouyou had ever been called to the principal’s office, because he doesn’t say anything mean to Tobio after that.  It’s easy to forget, and Tooru does. 

 

Tooru forgets, until weeks later, two things happen, and he remembers. 

 

The first thing that happens, is that Shouyou comes home from school that day, quieter than usual. He’s obviously distressed, picking at a string he had pulled loose from his sweater. When Tooru asks what happened, Shouyou bursts into tears, and full on  _ wails _ . It actually hurts his ears. 

 

“It’s just … It’s so …” Shouyou tries through his tears, but it doesn’t work. Tooru lets him cry on his shoulder, until it’s all out, and he can finally talk. “It’s so sad! Tobio has to go to a wedding and -- and -- and,” there’s a hiccup here, and he basically starts screaming, “ _ He doesn’t have anything to wear! _ ”

 

“ _ What? _ ” Tooru asks dramatically, half for the sake of his son, and half because he really  _ was _ scandalized. Tobio didn’t have anything to wear for a wedding? Disgraceful. Tooru stands up and immediately stalks to Shouyou’s room, crouches down, and digs through his closet. He knew Tobio was a bit bigger than Shouyou, but there’s enough clothes that there will be  _ something. _ Shouyou’s right behind him, watching over his dad’s shoulder. 

 

After a solid fifteen minutes of digging, a miracle appears. Shouyou gasps, too, and that’s how Tooru knew it was perfect. There’s a little suit and tie combo, one that a co-worker had given Tooru, but was too big for Shouyou. The slacks are there, too, and Tooru thinks he should go to a casino, with his luck. 

 

Tooru carefully folds the outfit, and rustles around for a plastic bag. He crouches down again, in front of Shouyou, and smiles. “Here we go, Shouyou! We’re gonna put this bag in your backpack. Can you give it to Tobio for me?”

 

“Yes, daddy!” Shouyou says, nodding enough that it makes Tooru a bit dizzy. He takes the bag and puts it in his backpack, along with the shoes Tooru hands him, as well. He comes bounding back over to his dad, and hugs him. “I’m gonna be the bestest friend ever!”

 

The second thing that happens, is that , a week later, Tooru gets a random text message. He doesn’t recognize the number, and it’s not saved in his contacts, either. Curiosity wins over, though, and he opens it. 

 

_ [What goes well with a purple sweater with a red heart on it?] _

 

Tooru blinks. He re-reads the text. Surely it was a wrong number. It was probably from someone asking their friend what to wear on a date. But Tooru is a good samaritan, and he helps people whenever he can. This is one of those moments. 

 

_ [if it’s dark purple, try dark grey/black skinny jeans. but if it’s an ugly lilac purple, try white slacks, if u have any. if not, just regular blue jeans] _ Tooru texts back, smiling. He really is an amazing person. As an afterthought, and because no one should forget shoes, he adds, _ [use dark shoes, for both, by the way. unless it’s a really bright purple. otherwise u should be good. good luck xoxo] _

 

Hours later, he gets another message. 

 

_ [Thanks.] _

 

Everything comes together when Shouyou comes home from school that day. He’s bouncing up and down, a sunshine level smile on his face. Without prompting, he sing-songs, “Tobio looked really cute today! He didn’t wear an ugly shirt. Well, it was ugly, but it was cute on him!”

 

“Hmm? What’d he wear, Shouyou?” Tooru asks, smoothing out his son’s shirt. Somewhere between getting home and running around, it had gotten untucked. Tooru walks into the kitchen to start dinner, Shouyou following loyally behind.

 

“He had a purple shirt with a heart on it,” Shouyou announces happily, and looks confused when his dad stops walking. Tooru feels like an idiot. Of course. He puts a smile on his face, and turns to face his son. Tooru holds his breath, prompting his son to continue. “Dark pants, too. He looked good. It matched his hair.”

 

Tooru lets that breath out, and ruffles Shouyou’s hair. So Hajime really had listened to him. An idea came to him. A brilliant, wonderful, mischievous idea. “He looked good, huh? That’s good. What would you want him to wear next?”

 

“Yellow shirt!” Shouyou says, immediately. Probably because it was his favorite color. Then, he thinks a bit harder about it. Slowly, he says, “A nice yellow shirt. Like he’s going to another wedding, except it’ll be ours.”

 

Tooru pretends not to hear the last part. 

 

“Got it.”

 

After dinner, and when Shouyou starts playing with his legos, Tooru decides to text Hajime. Tooru wants Tobio to look good, and as much as Shouyou is good with colors, it’s different on other people. He thinks about what to tell Hajime to dress his son in. 

 

_ [hey. i know it’s u, hajime. i just figured it out.] _

 

The reply comes immediately.

 

_ [I was hoping it would take you longer.] _

 

Tooru chuckles. Of course. He’d probably want more free advice without Tooru knowing, huh. Too bad. There’s a lot he wants to say, but instead, he goes back to the original reason for texting.  _ [on friday, dress Tobio in a light yellow dress shirt with a white jacket and dark jeans, please and thank you~] _

 

_ [Why should I? He doesn’t even have a yellow dress shirt.] _

 

Tooru’s ready for the excuse. He knew it would be hard to say no to this.  _ [because Shouyou wants to see Tobio in a yellow shirt. i want him to, too, but i don’t want Tobio to look like a bumble bee. oh, don’t forget, white tennis shoes!] _

 

There’s no reply for hours, until, _ [Alright.] _

 

Shouyou comes home from school on Friday with a drawing. It’s hard to see what he drew, really, until he explains it. Apparently, Tobio and Shouyou had gotten married today, on the playground. Their friend Hitoka was the priest, and she was bawling the entire time. Shouyou wore blue, and looked fancy in his little marriage outfit.

 

Tobio wore yellow.


	2. depressing backstories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> shoutout to marlene, for all your help on this chapter!! <3 <3  
> lets pretend my time-line-ing isn’t completely messed up, okay! lol  
> also i have 0 clue about fashion, everything is basically from my own taste, or from the devil wears prada. thats basically where the layout of tooru’s office came from, btw.  
> also x2 i rly only intended this fic to be a 1 shot? so idk where im going from here? lol if u have any ideas pls let me know i’d love it

 

 

“Alright, Shou, it’s naptime, okay?” Tooru tells his son as he unlocks the door to their apartment. Shouyou freezes, and Tooru knows there’s going to be whining. Before it can happen, he hefts Shouyou in his arms and spins around, putting him back down when they’re in the living room.

 

“But daddy --”

 

Tooru’s ready with the excuse, though.

 

“No buts! We had a nice time at the park, and you agreed that if we played in the sandbox, that you would take a nap without any complaints,” Tooru says, interrupting Shouyou before his train of thought could go any further. He dusts the sand off his son’s butt, asking, “Are you going to complain about naptime?”

 

Shouyou pauses, like he actually has to think about it, and sighs. He curls his tiny child hands in his shirt and shakes his head. Scuffling to his bedroom, he says, “No, daddy. I’ll take a nap. But I won’t like it.”

 

Tooru snorts. What a dramatic and sassy little kid. He’d wonder where Shouyou got it from, except he already knows exactly where he got it from. Tooru follows his son into his bedroom and tucks him in. Of course, even after saying he wouldn’t like it, Shouyou’s asleep within a minute and a half. Tooru almost wishes he was a kid again with no cares in the world. But if he were a kid himself, he wouldn’t have Shouyou, and Shouyou is honestly his reason to live.

 

Two hours later, Shouyou’s stumbling out of his bedroom, hair sticking up everywhere, and rubbing his eyes. Tooru smiles at his son and motions for him to come sit in his lap. He pauses the tv long enough to straighten Shouyou’s hair out, and asks, “Should we watch a movie?”

 

“Yes!” Shouyou screeches, right in Tooru’s ear, and he winces. Loud, even right after he woke up. It’s almost a skill, really. Shouyou buzzes with excitement, his entire body basically vibrating. “I wanna watch Finding Nemo!”

 

They do. Mostly because Tooru can’t say no to his son, but also because he loves that movie. It’s his favorite Pixar movie. He’s seen it enough that he quotes scenes with Dory, along with P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney. Shouyou absolutely goes crazy for the acting, always laughing and smiling.

 

After the movie, they eat an early dinner, and then decide they’ll watch another movie, because why not? It’s Saturday afternoon, neither of them have anything to do, and they love movies. This time, Tooru picks. He’s about to put in Oliver & Company, when his phone rings.

 

He picks up his phone and checks the caller ID. It’s Hajime. What a surprise, Tooru really thought they’d only ever text. What could he be calling for? Expertly sliding Shouyou off his lap, he stands up and answers, “Hello?”

 

“Hey. Um,” a voice says, and it really is Hajime. There’s loud noises coming from the background. The wedding, probably, Tooru realizes. But then Hajime speaks again, and Tooru focuses back on the conversation. “I didn’t know who else to call. You said you’re a fashion designer, right?”

 

Tooru falters, confused, but answers, “... Right?”

 

“As you can probably guess from the noise, I’m at the wedding that your son so helpfully told you about,” Hajime says, with a playful tone to it. Tooru’s glad, he hoped he hadn’t crossed boundaries by giving Tobio the suit. “Well, the groom just absolutely ruined his tux, and we don’t have another one. I was wondering if you --”

 

Tooru beams, _of course,_ and cuts Hajime off with a splutter. “Say no more! I’m gonna need you to answer these questions carefully, okay. Let’s do this. What color is the bride’s dress? What colors are the color coded decorations and bridesmaid’s dresses? What size is he -- shoulder, waist, height, and weight?”

 

While Hajime attempts to think of all the answers, Tooru rushes to the kitchen to get a writing pad and pen. He can hear Hajime in the background, asking the groom for his measurements. Tooru’s ready when Hajime answers, “White, but like a cream white. Light pink and more white, for the decorations. Bridesmaid’s dresses were weird shades of pastel green. The groom is 180 centimeters tall, shoulders’ are 102 centimeters, waist is 84 centimeters. Also, he’s 82 kilos.”

 

“Perfect, he’s the average size, we have plenty of those,” Tooru says as he scribbles down everything Hajime said. Honestly, they’re _really_ lucky the groom is the size he is. “Got it. Okay, text me the location. We’ll be there in an hour.”

 

During all of this, Shouyou had just been staring at his father with mild confusion and interest. Tooru goes over to his son, crouches down and ruffles his hair. In a mischievous tone, he asks, “Shouyou, do you want to go on an adventure?”

 

Shouyou nods repeatedly, and just like that, their relaxing afternoon turns into an adventure. Which is, honestly, better, anyway. Together, they find Shouyou’s little tux for fancy events, and they leave, stopping first at Tooru’s office.

 

Holding his son’s hand, they enter the building, heading straight to the elevator. For whatever reason, Shouyou _loves_ elevators. Tooru has no clue, but it’s kind of cute, so it doesn’t really matter. They’re on the floor, trying the door, and that’s when Tooru remembers: The fashion company is closed on Saturdays. That’s why the door was locked. Tooru would have thought the company would be open, but he learned long ago that Saturdays are the days for going out and attending events. People are still working, just not _here,_ that’s all. He digs around his pockets for his keys, picking the right key out, and unlocks the door to their floor.

 

“What do you think, Shou, should we get the tux first, or look at the shoes?” Tooru asks, putting his stuff down on the secretary’s desk. For good measure, he takes the newest magazine from his desk and stuffs it into his bag.

 

“Shoes! Shoes!”

 

“I guess that answers that question,” he chuckles, and they make their way down the hallway to the giant shoe closet. Honestly, it shouldn’t even be called a closet. It’s twice as big as his bedroom. Even though they don’t need shoes, the closet is Shouyou’s favorite place, and it really is pretty awesome. With fanfare and trumpet noises, he pushes the door open. “Ta-da!”

 

Shouyou is stunned silent, just like every other time. But then, it hits him, and he unfreezes, screaming some unintelligible words. Tooru catches _wow, shoes,_ and _big._ It’s not hard to figure it out. His son bounds into the closet -- room, whatever -- and stares at the sparkly high heels. He has good taste. Just like his dad.

 

They spend five minutes like that, Shouyou just running to a new pair of shoes every few seconds, asking _what is it,_ and then gasping dramatically when Tooru tells him. It’s cute, really, but they’re here for a reason. As much as Tooru wants to stay in the shoe closet, they have to get the tux and high-tail it to the wedding.

 

“Shou, we need to go get the tux, okay?” he coaxes carefully. There’s no way he wants a melt down, especially not right now. He’s gotta be careful. Shouyou looks on the verge of anger, so Tooru ruffles his hair and promises, “We can come back, and I’ll give you a pair of sparkly shoes when you’re the right size. Okay?”

 

A soft sigh. Then, “Okay, daddy.”

 

Shouyou reaches up to hold his dad’s hand, and they walk to the formal wear area together. Crisis averted, thankfully. They stop by Tooru’s office quick enough to get the measurements, and they sort through the hundreds of tuxedos the company has. Easily enough, Tooru finds the right one, --or, at least, the closest they would get -- and puts it in a garment bag. Then, as a last touch, he picks out a pastel pink tie for the groom. If Tooru wasn’t able to get the groom to match the bride, then could he _really_ call himself a fashion designer?

 

Tooru finds a tux for himself, for good measure, and changes into it. He also helps Shouyou into his own miniature tuxedo, the one they had brought. Twenty minutes later, they’re all dolled up and ready to go. Even Shouyou’s messy hair is tamed -- as much as humanly possible, at least.

 

They leave the office, double checking it’s locked, and they’re on their way. Another part of their adventure. Tooru inputs the address Hajime had texted him into a GPS app on his phone, and they’re gone.

 

It only takes a half hour to get to the address, and Shouyou is _ready._ He’s been bouncing in his little booster chair in the backseat for the past ten minutes. It’s kind of contagious. Tooru’s excited, too, now. He parks the car easily and helps Shouyou out of his booster chair. Together, they enter the giant hotel, Shouyou’s hand in one hand, and the tux in the other. It’s not hard to find the reception area.

 

“Hey, you made it. Thanks for this, by the way,” Hajime’s voice makes Tooru turn, and _wow, he looks really good in a tuxedo._ He’s smiling, too, and somehow that makes him look even better. Who knew. He holds an arm out, and says, “I can take that to the groom, if you want. Everyone else is inside.”

 

Tooru just nods. He doesn’t trust his voice right now, it’ll probably crack, like he was a teenager again. Well, that’s how he felt, at least. A kid, all over again. Shouyou is smiling up at Hajime, and they wave at each other.

 

Hajime takes the tuxedo from Tooru, and he’s about to turn around to leave, but stops. He turns shyly back to Tooru and mumbles, “Thanks. You really saved the day. I don’t know what we would have done without you.”

 

Tooru thinks he can feel his soul leaving him. Yup, there it goes, and it’s gone. Shouyou is laughing, pulling at his dad’s hands. Always such a fan. Tooru coughs, hopes his face isn’t too red, and says, “It’s fine. What’s a Saturday without an adventure, anyway?”

 

“Nothing fun, that’s for sure,” Hajime chuckles, and he waves over his shoulder. Within a few seconds, he’s gone, presumably to give the tuxedo to the groom. Tooru doesn’t really know what to do, he’s still staring at the spot that Hajime stood. Thankfully, his son is a life saver.

 

Shouyou pulls on his father’s cuffs, and walks them into the reception area. There’s a lot of people, and everyone looks happy. If Shouyou hadn’t pointed him out, Tooru would never have noticed Tobio sitting on an elderly woman’s lap. After they locked onto their target, Shouyou pulled his father again, wanting to talk to Tobio.

 

They do.

 

Tooru finds out that the elderly woman is Hajime’s mom, and Tobio’s grandmother, Minie. She’s a sweetheart, really, and Tooru can see where the softness in Tobio’s eyes comes from. They talk for a bit, while Tobio and Shouyou run around, still within eyesight. Tooru tells Minie that he’s actually only met Hajime once before, and _is there anything I need to know about him?_ She just laughs, eyes crinkling, and she’s beautiful, even at that age. Tooru sees where Hajime gets it, honestly.

 

“If there’s one thing you need to know about my son, it’s the fact that he’s tough on himself,” Minie says, looking wistful. Tooru nods, understanding. There’s sadness in her eyes, but eventually she continues, “He’s had a tough life. Nothing seems to go the right way for him, but he always tries his best. Tobio is the best example. Hajime’s always wanted kids, but I don’t think he wanted it like _that_.”

 

Tooru wants to ask what happened, but his instincts tell him that it’s not his place. If he really wanted to know, he’d ask Hajime. Instead, he tells Minie a happy story, in hopes to make her smile again.

 

Hajime comes back randomly, scooping Tobio into a big bear hug, swinging him around. Shouyou screams out of jealousy, and demands Tooru to do the same. Soon enough, they’re having a swinging contest.

 

(Tooru loses, his upper body strength is nothing in comparison to Hajime.)

 

“The wedding’s about to start, we should go sit down,” Hajime tells Tooru and Minie. In all honesty, Tooru had actually forgotten there’d be a real wedding. He had figured they’d just relax in the reception area the entire time. But here Hajime is, inviting them to the wedding they had no previous right attending, and they’re saying yes. Tobio and Shouyou hold hands the entire time to their seats.

 

It’s a beautiful wedding. Even though Tooru doesn’t know anyone except Hajime, he still tears up at the vows. He’s always a sucker for romance. Hajime looks like he wants to make fun of Tooru, but he ends up not saying anything. When the officiant says the magic words, _“You may kiss the bride,”_ and they kiss, Tooru full out _bawls._  He knows everyone else must think he's crying because the wedding is just too sweet. A part of him is, really, but it's not the whole story. Shouyou hands him a tissue from Minie, and he does one of those half-laugh half-sob type of thing.

 

Once everyone makes their way back to the reception area, Tooru’s calmed down a bit. His eyes are red, but no one could really tell it was from crying. Minie is holding Shouyou, after falling in love with his cute little boyish charms, and Tobio is holding Hajime’s hand.

 

Tooru’s stomach twists.

 

It almost feels like a family.

 

They find the table from earlier, and sit back down. Minie looks exhausted, and Tooru sympathizes. Weddings are tiring at his age, he couldn’t imagine what it’d be like for her. The bride and groom are called to the center for their first dance. Tooru can’t get over how well they look together. They honestly look like they were destined to be together. Soulmates, even, if he believed in that type of stuff.

 

He doesn’t.

 

After the first dance, everyone joins in. Tooru laughs when Shouyou drags Tobio for their own little dance. The kids don’t know any of the dances, they’re just kinda jiggling, bouncing up and down, but they seem happy enough. They don’t have any sense of the music, either, just jumping around out of time with the music. It’s cute, and Tooru is dying inside. He takes plenty of video on his phone, because that’s what good dads do. They take embarrassing videos to show the videos off after they’ve grown up. That’s just what they do.

 

Hajime sits by him after a dance or two, and they’re just silent together. They watch their respective kids, and it’s nice. It’s nice, and Tooru is surprised by just how comfortable it is. It feels like they’ve known each other forever. There’s no awkwardness, just pleasant silence.

 

The music eventually slows down from peppy pop music to slow dance material. The lights dim, just a bit, too. That’s how everyone knows it’s a slow dance, meant usually for couples, or maybe a dad and daughter combination. Tobio and Shouyou have no idea, but they stay on the dance floor. They’re smart enough to mimic everyone around them, and for a split second, they get into a fight. Tooru is ready to intervene, but Tobio huffs and lets Shouyou be the one to put his hands on Tobio’s shoulder. It’s painful, but it’s still cute.

 

After the first few seconds of the slow dance, Tooru begins to feel a bit nostalgic. Maybe a bit sad, even. He doesn’t know why, but then again, does anyone ever have a reason for nostalgia? He’s about to say something, anything, to start a conversation, but Minie beats him to it.

 

“Alright, boys, I think it’s time for this old lady to head home, I’m tired,” Minie says, standing up. An audible pop is heard, and Tooru winces. She hugs Hajime easily, but surprises Tooru with a hug, as well. He hugs back, and again, the feeling of nostalgia is back. “Goodbye my dears, it was nice meeting you, Tooru.”

 

Just like that, Minie is gone, and it’s just Tooru and Hajime at their little table. Shouyou and Tobio are still dancing, transitioning from the first slow dance to the second. Tooru wishes he had the energy of his son, it’s incredible they’re still going.

 

“They seem to be getting along much better,” Hajime says, conversationally. Even though their silence felt fine, it’s probably a bit more socially acceptable for them to be talking to each other. They can hear Shouyou’s squeal of laughter, and they both smile.

 

Tooru nods, a smirk growing on his face. He can’t help it, he has to say it. Hajime left himself wide open, and it’s against Tooru’s morality to ignore a possible snarky comment. “It’s probably because with my fashion advice, there hasn’t been any ugly shirts for Shouyou to insult.”

 

There’s a blank look on Hajime’s face, but eventually it cracks, and he snorts. Tooru’s proud of himself for that one. At that moment, Shouyou and Tobio come bounding back to their parents, holding hands, and Shouyou demands a drink of water. A quick drink of water and a short break later, and they’re back on the dance floor.

 

Amazing.

 

The nostalgic feeling comes back for a third time, and Tooru is tired of it. The slow music, the dim lights, everything isn’t helping. So before he can stop it, like he would have any other time, he blurts out, “I hate weddings.”

 

Hajime looks surprised. He blinks once, twice, a third time. There’s nothing to say, not really, except, “Why?”

 

Tooru slumps in his seat, and squashes the feeling of wanting to smash his head on the table. This is not how he wanted this to go. But all the happiness of everyone else and the slow dances and the lights, and just the wedding in general, it’s just -- it’s making him bitter. He'd been able to keep his bitterness to a minimum earlier, because the couple really is cute, but his patience is kind of worn. He sits, quietly, thinking how to explain in the best way.

 

“I was supposed to get married,” Tooru murmurs eventually, and Hajime shifts to face Tooru better. What a great listener; Tooru almost wishes he wasn’t. He sighs and continues, “We were going to get married, until she left me a day before the wedding.”

 

Hajime gasps, and in any other situation, Tooru would have laughed at the dramatics. But not now. Tooru just grimaces, and finishes up his story. He didn’t mean to spit his entire life story out at a 2nd-time stranger, but here he was.

 

“Yeah, she left me a day before the wedding. No note, no goodbye, no nothing. She just up and left. I didn’t see her until eight and a half months later, when she knocked on my door with a crying bundle in her arms. She shoved the bundle into my arms, said, _‘He’s Shouyou,’_ and actually ran away. Like, she sprinted down the hallway and down the stairs to get away from me.”

 

Hajime snorts again, and his eyes go wide. Hurriedly, with plenty of hand gestures, he says, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh. It’s just the way you said she sprinted down the stairs. That’s cruel. That sounds like something out of a drama.”

 

“I know, right?” Tooru sighs wistfully, flopping his upper body on the table. He stretches his arm out, laying his head on his bicep, and looks at Hajime. “If only it _was_ a drama. I think I’d be a pretty good actor.”

 

They don’t say anything for a while, just watching people as they filter in and out of the dance floor. Hajime takes a drink of his sparkling grape juice. Earlier, he had commented offhandedly that he was driving, so no alcohol for him. It was kind of cute.

 

They watch as Tobio and Shouyou eat a piece of cake together. Shouyou shoves a bit into Tobio’s face, smearing it on his cheek, but he doesn’t seem too mad. He just wipes it off and eats it from his fingers. Hajime was right; they really were getting along better.

 

“So, what about you? I told you my life story,” Tooru says, watching for Hajime’s reaction very carefully. After what Minie had said, he didn’t want to accidentally step on a landmine. He doesn’t move from his position on his arm, just in case he needs a quick way to hide. “What’s _your_ life story?”

 

Hajime doesn’t seem to mind the question. He stares off for a while, before finally saying, “I’ve wanted kids my entire life. I have wanted to be a father since I was twelve years old. Tobio’s mother and I met, fell in love, and got married, just like any other couple. It was love, but it wasn’t anything special. It was normal. You know. And then she got pregnant.”

 

Tooru knows something bad happened, because it had to. If everything was normal, then she would be here right now, as Tobio’s mom. Tooru almost doesn’t want to know. Especially not when Hajime is making this sad, pained expression.

 

He hates himself for asking.

 

“I don’t know why I’m even telling you this,” Hajime breathes out, half chuckling. If there was a grimace in the form of a laugh, it would have been that. He sighs, and finally tells Tooru, “She was pregnant, and nine months later, I got Tobio, but I didn’t get to keep her.”

 

He sucks in a breath. Tooru knew it, he knew that was coming, but still. Damn. A childbirth death must have been terrible. Scarring, even. There’s nothing for him to say, he can’t even bring himself to say a quick apology. That would do nothing. All Tooru wants to do at the moment was to bring back the smile that made Hajime’s face crinkle, and his eyes sparkle. But Tobio beats him to it. He comes running back, and climbs into his father’s lap, and suddenly, Hajime is smiling again.

 

Tooru definitely understands that.

 

Shouyou came running too, a bit behind, yelling something about having short legs. He jumps up into Tooru’s lap, and stares at Tobio. For a solid minute, they just stare at each other, and Tooru has to keep himself from laughing.

 

Eventually, though, Tobio looks away first, looking defeated. Shouyou just claps, obviously excited. Tobio twists himself to be able to see his dad better, and says, “Me and Shouyou want a real wedding. Can we have one?”

 

Hajime chokes on air.

 

Just like that, thanks to the little kids, the depressing atmosphere is gone. It’s replaced by something much more upbeat, more happy. Hajime looks confused, but at least he doesn’t look sad anymore.

 

Tooru laughs, brightly. “Didn’t you already get married?”

 

“I want people to come and eat cake and dance!” Shouyou yells, again, right in his dad’s ears. But he’s so happy and full of sunshine that Tooru doesn’t really mind. Tobio is nodding along, and Hajime just seems like he’s given up. Shouyou slowly gets louder, saying, “I want to send letters and I want to throw the flower thing at someone! I want daddy to make my outfit!”

 

Tooru just smiles. Hajime looks at Tobio in his lap. Because he knows his son too well, he needs to ask. Just in case. “Do you want to marry Shouyou or do you want to marry him because he told you to?”

 

Tobio thinks for a second.

 

Then, “Both.”

 

Tooru and Hajime exchange a look, and burst into laughter. The feeling of sadness and nostalgia is gone, and all that is left is what’s happening this very moment. Shouyou and Tobio want to get married, and that’s that. It’s different, it’s new, it’s right now. Tooru notices Hajime smiling again, and he can’t help but think that he wants to see that smile more.

 

Honestly, Tooru’s happy. He’s happy with this feeling, a new friend, and a new friend for Shouyou, too. He’s happy that he could help _someone_ have a good wedding, even if he never did. Hajime’s eyes are crinkling, and he keeps smiling like he has no care in the world.

 

Tooru’s happy about that, too.


	3. RSVP ASAP PLZ & TY

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **mild homophobia in this chapter**
> 
> sorry for the long wait, but hopefully the sheer amount of cuteness in this chapter and the fact that it’s longer than usual makes up for it!! :^)
> 
> ALSO HANA MISAKI. that is all. i love her and she’s great here and deserves the world. AND KOUSHI SUGAWARA his character is very #relatable here and the only one that’s equal to tooru in sassiness (also can u tell i ship oisuga a WHOLE LOT??? bc i do… but this isnt oisuga :( anyway...)
> 
> okay, i know i said that tobio and shouyou are both 5 years old, but i’m not really writing them that well at this age. it’s kind of showing, too, and i feel bad… they’re acting a bit young at some times but like old bc knowing things at other times. so just pretend that they’re 5-6 and im writing the kids 100% correctly lol. but to be fair i’ve worked with some know-it-all kids that somehow know everything about people/their parents, lol. 
> 
> maybe i’ll go back sometime and re-write it more accurately, along with deciding if i want it to take place in the US or in japan like it normally would have. (i’ve found there’s a lot of differences in little things, so i need to decide on one and rewrite it)

  
  


A week later, Shouyou comes home from school with his backpack suspiciously larger than it had been when he left. He insists that it’s nothing, but Tooru knows better. Shouyou acts cute as a last chance at secrecy, but nothing fools Tooru, not anymore. 

 

“What’s in the bag, Shouyou?” Tooru asks, cutting to the chase. He’s sure it’s nothing bad, but he’s got to ask, just to be sure. Shouyou shuffles around, but eventually shows his dad his backpack. They unzip it, and crumpled papers overflow from the bag, piling out onto the floor. Colors flood the pages, and terribly scribbled words are all over, too. Tooru can only guess. “What are these? Are these -- are these your wedding invitations?”

 

Shouyou blushes, but doesn’t deny it. In fact, he carefully smooths a paper out, and shows his dad. Nearly all the words are misspelled, including _invitation_ and _wedding._ Honestly, he’s surprised that they used those words at all. There’s also drawings of two badly sketched human forms. Probably Shouyou and Tobio.

 

“Tobio is very bad at art, and we’re both bad at words,” Shouyou says, with a hint of complaint, like he’s actually irritated that Tobio can’t draw. He keeps smoothing papers out, carefully putting each one out on the floor. 

 

They’re really, really, really _ ugly. _ The colors clash, and for a split second, Tooru is honestly disappointed in his son. Shouyou should know better, colors are his forte. Then he remembers that Tobio drew everything, and suddenly it’s okay, because in that case, it’s his fault, not Shouyou’s. 

 

He feels better. 

 

Tooru hasn’t failed as a father, nor a fashion designer. 

 

It hits him, a couple minutes later, that  _ this _ was what the secrecy was about. Tooru just laughs. After refusing to show his backpack, Tooru was expecting worse. He wasn’t sure what would be considered bad _ ,  _ really, but he’s just glad it’s wedding invitations. Holding an invitation in his hand, he looks over all the invitations the two kids had made. They likely put in a lot of work, but this wedding deserves better. Tooru won’t stand for his son to have a low quality wedding. 

 

Even if they’re five years old.

 

Sighing, Tooru ruffles Shouyou’s hair, and stands up. Just like a puppy, Shouyou trails after his father, following him into the kitchen. Tooru rummages through one of many drawers where almost anything could be found, and comes up with a box of markers. They call it their junk drawer, when really it should be plural. But still. That’s not what matters. 

 

They find more markers, crayons, colored pencils, and they use paper from Shouyou’s backpack. Together, they sit back down on the floor and get to work. They spend the evening making invitations. 

 

Shouyou is having fun making invitations again, always asking what colors he should use to spell his name out. Tooru supervises -- for the most part. There’s a couple times where he took over the spot as main artist, but otherwise, it’s all Shouyou. They also come up with a design that’s easy to draw, and there aren’t any stick figures anymore. 

 

The invitations are still horrible.

 

In a cute way, of course. 

 

* * *

 

 

Two days later, Shouyou’s backpack is suspiciously large, again. It’s much bigger than it had been with just paper, and the zipper isn’t even closed all the way. Shouyou doesn’t try to act cute, or even act like it’s a secret at all. He plops the overstuffed backpack in front of Tooru, doesn’t even bother unzipping it, and explains simply, “Tobio’s tuxedo.”

 

_ Ah. _

 

Makes sense.

 

“There’s a note, too,” Shouyou adds a beat too late, like he almost forgot to include that little detail. Tooru just nods, and unzips the backpack. Shouyou hums to himself and curls up on the couch, not incredibly interested with the situation. 

 

He’s asleep within minutes.

 

The plastic bag, with the tuxedo and the shoes, is, of course, stuck on the zipper. Tooru uses all his self control not to rip the zipper off. That would help absolutely nothing. Instead, he takes a couple deep breaths and tears the plastic bag, just enough that it’s untangled. He’ll fix the leftover plastic stuck in the zipper later. There’s better things to be doing. For example: reading that note from Hajime.

 

Tooru unties the plastic bag and immediately goes for the note. It’s on spiral notebook paper -- wide ruled, just like Shouyou’s, because no little kid uses college ruled. Tooru doesn’t know why he recognizes what type of paper the note is, but whatever. Doesn’t matter. He unfolds it, and there’s two different types of handwriting. One belongs to Tobio, of course, and the other to Hajime.

 

But there’s a problem.

 

_ The two types are equally messy.  _

 

Incredible.

 

Who knew Hajime would be the type of person with terrible handwriting? Tooru tries not to smile, but it’s just such a cute little detail, and oh, well, there goes the smile. Finally, he reads the first sentence. It’s from Tobio, apparent from the horribly misspelled words. Hajime probably helped him write it, but left the misspelled words. 

 

_ Thakns for the tucks. I went to the weding becuase of yuu. The sheos fit, too.  _

 

Tooru has to calm himself down, because who allowed this kid to be this cute? Totally unfair. He spelled so many words wrong, but it was still cute. When Shouyou did this, it was cute, too, of course, but this is different. This isn’t his own child. This is grumpy no-fashion-sense Hajime’s kid,  _ thanking him for something related to fashion.  _ The ultimate compliment. Tooru reads Hajime’s part of the note. 

 

He still can’t get over how endearing it is that Hajime has terrible handwriting. 

 

_ Tooru -- thanks for the tuxedo for Tobio. I really appreciate all the help you have given us, both for this tuxedo, and for basically saving the wedding. You really are amazing. Here’s your tuxedo back, I’m sure you’ll need it, being a fashion designer and all.  _

 

_ ;) _

 

_ P.S. It’s washed, I promise. _

 

Tooru wants to cry. Not only was his handwriting atrocious, but he used a smiley face,  _ and _ a post scriptum. The cuteness must run in the family, that’s where Tobio got it from. The wink face is such a polar opposite to what Tooru first thought of Hajime, and he  _ loves it. _ He wonders what else he doesn’t know; what other little things there is to learn about Hajime. 

 

He decides, then and there, that he wants to know every little thing about Hajime. So, he starts with a plan. Step 1: Write a note back. Tooru uses paper from Shouyou’s backpack, and a purple marker -- his favorite color -- and writes the note. 

 

_ Hajime -- you’ll need this more than me, I think. Sooner rather than later. You know. For our sons’ wedding. Tobio needs to look good, or I’ll object at the ceremony & you really don’t want that. I am a first class actor and drama queen, remember? _

 

Tooru feels kind of weird, writing  _ our sons’ wedding, _ because it makes it sound more intimate than it really needs to be. But it doesn’t matter, he supposes, because that’s what it is. Even though the two children aren’t theirs, together, it’s still their respective sons’ weddings. He debates rephrasing it, but screw it. It’s fine. Even if it’s not fine, at least it’ll be a conversation starter, right?

 

Then comes Step 2. 

 

Step 2: Send the note back, along with the tuxedo. 

 

Tooru carefully folds the note he wrote and stuffs it back into the plastic bag. He doesn’t even bother getting the tux or the shoes out of the bag, because why would he? He’s sending the tux and shoes back, anyway. After zipping the backpack up again, Tooru feels proud. He’s not sure why, but it’s a good emotion, so he’s not going to question it. 

 

Shouyou takes the bag to school the next day, without complaint. Sure, he had looked at his dad funny, but he didn’t question much after Tooru said, “Because I said so.” He’s raised his son well. 

 

That’s how it starts. With a thank you note, and a reply to that note. Over the next few days, replies flood in. The notes are all chances to converse with Hajime, and Tooru loves it. The one thing Tooru didn’t know, though, was how stubborn Hajime could be.  _ Wow. _ But Tooru is stubborn, too, in his own way, and they keep exchanging the tuxedo, back and forth.

 

_ Tooru -- if it’s for my son’s wedding, I’ll buy him a brand new tux. _

 

_ Hajime -- that’s a waste. Just keep this one, okay? _

 

Shouyou’s confused, but he’s also delighted to be a messenger. He also wants to be annoyed, like,  _ geez dad, this again? _ But he actually likes the fact that those two are exchanging notes. It’s cute and reminds him of Tobio, after they started getting along. 

 

The notes are good, he decides.

 

_ Tooru -- I’ve got to give my son the best for his wedding. That means not cheating and using someone else’s tuxedo. You know how that feels, right, Tooru? As a dad, wanting the best for your kid.   _

 

_ (; _

 

Tooru wants to smack Hajime over the head. How dare he use the  _ you’re a dad, too, _ card on him? Tooru practically  _ invented _ that. It’s even worse, because Hajime used a smiley face along with that low blow. He knew exactly what he had written, and the impact it would have. 

 

That winky face is mocking Tooru, and they both know it. 

 

He sighs, once, twice, and gives up. Hajime won, fair and square. There wasn’t anything he could say to deny that. Tooru thinks for a long time how to respond. Even during dinner (mac and cheese, of course) with Shouyou, he’s still thinking what the perfect response would be. It comes to him later that evening, while they’re watching Spongebob, and  _ it’s perfect. _

 

_ Hajime -- well, then, if you really want the best for your son, why don’t I pick the tuxedo out?  _

 

_ xoxo  _

 

_ love, Tooru _

 

The response is exactly what he wanted. Somehow, it keeps the conversation going, without the stubbornness becoming hostile. It also gives them a chance to meet up in the future, while not sounding too serious. What better way than to show off his fashion skills? 

 

Tooru smiles as he puts the note into the backpack. Shouyou is watching from the couch, bouncing up and down with excitement. Even he knows when his dad is excited, too. Tooru stands back up, and pulls his son into a giant bear hug, tickling him and blowing raspberries. Shouyou squeals, but secretly loves it.

 

“I love you, Shouyou, you know that?”

 

“I know, daddy, I love you too.”

 

After that, Tooru begins to get worried. He doesn’t get a response for several days, not even including the slow weekend he had to endure. On Tuesday, Shouyou comes back with the plastic bag. Tooru finally keeps the tuxedo and the shoes, but even at the bottom of the plastic bag, there’s no note. 

 

He’s not going to lie, it kind of hurts. They had been talking back and forth, and everything seemed fine, so why did Hajime stop responding? Tooru hadn’t done anything too forward, he had made sure of that. But somewhere, somehow, along the line, he must have messed up.  

 

Shouyou watches his dad, and the expressions he goes through. It’s easy to tell; Tooru’s always had an expressive face, unafraid to show emotions. Shouyou huffs and rolls his eyes, digging through his pocket. He pulls out a crumbled pink sticky notes, and hands it to Tooru. 

 

The sticky note has Tobio’s measurements, along with the times and dates that Hajime and Tobio are free for a wedding. There’s also another smiley face, this time a full one, with the circle around the face and the eyes. A wide smile spreads on Tooru’s face, and he wants to squeal with happiness. Instead, he just hefts Shouyou up in the air in his arms, and asks, “Shou, are you ready to get married?”

 

“Yes!” He squeals without hesitation. His smile is just as wide as Tooru’s, and just as bright, too. Maybe even brighter. They laugh together and roll around on the floor. Shouyou squeals again when Tooru lifts his shirt up and blows on his stomach. 

 

Yup, they’re definitely ready for a wedding. 

 

* * *

 

 

The next week, Tooru is busy getting ready for the wedding. He’s already called all of his friends, made sure they knew exactly what was going on, and got the RSVPs. For good measure, he even sent them the invitations they hand-made. Of course, Minie is the first to be invited. There was a long discussion on when and where the wedding would be, but that was easily taken care of once Tooru actually  _ called _ Hajime and  _ talked _ to him. None of that trading notes anymore. 

 

(It took a lot of courage, but it worked out, so it’s all good.)

 

In fact, he’s so busy he honestly forgets that there’s a parent-teacher conference. He only remembers because at some point he put the flyer on the refrigerator. Present-Tooru owes a lot to Past-Tooru, that much is sure. The date and time is written, too, and he’s saved. 

 

“Don’t forget. Invitations!” Shouyou whines on the drive to the school. Even without his son’s prompting, Tooru doesn’t think he’d be able to forget. There’s a giant stack of invitations they made together in the front seat. Tooru had first rolled the window down for a split second, and instantly regretted the decision. Now, it might be a giant mess of invitations in the front seat, but it’s still the invitations. “Hitoka. Tadashi. Don’t forget, daddy!”

 

“Alright, alright, Shou, I got it. I know who we’re inviting! I have the list in my pocket, don’t worry,” Tooru says, finally, if only to stop the whining. Shouyou seems proud of himself for annoying his dad. What a punk. 

 

At the school, they shove the invitations (nicely, of course) into a bag and bring it inside. Tooru drops Shouyou off at the office where the rest of the kids are, and goes to wait outside the classroom for his turn. He sits in a chair in the hallway, and flips through a couple invitations, when Shimizu spots him. 

 

“Ah, Tooru! It’s nice to see you,” she says, as soft as ever. She’s beautiful, even in jeans and a t-shirt. Tooru’s a bit jealous. She smiles at him, and sits in the chair next to him. “How is Shouyou? Hitoka told me that he got married. Just as mischievous as his father, hmm?”

 

Tooru just laughs. If he hadn’t known Shimizu as long as he had, he would have been taken aback by how her personality definitely didn’t match her looks. He grins at her and explains, “They got married once, but we’re doing it again. You know, bigger and better. In fact, I have an invitation for you and your little girl.”

 

“Really? We’d be flattered to attend,” Shimizu says, flashing him a cheeky smile. There’s a joke somewhere in her sentence, but he doesn’t get it. He doesn’t dwell on it. Instead, he digs through his backpack for an invitation, and hands it to her. She smiles again, this time, completely genuine, and says, “Thanks.”

 

“You’re welcome. Don’t forget to RSVP and bring a wedding gift,” Tooru says, completely as a joke. She doesn’t take it that way, just nods. He hopes they don’t really come with wedding presents, but, well, if they do, that’s cool, too. Another parent comes out of the classroom, and Shimizu checks her watch. “Looks like it’s my turn. I’ll see you at the wedding.”

 

Tooru waves, and Shimizu disappears into the classroom. In the time of her meeting with the teacher, two other parents sit next to him. On his right, there’s a young woman looking out of place, eyes darting around nervously. On his left, there’s a huge, muscular man, that is quite frankly squishing Tooru against the mother. He doesn’t say anything, though, that guy’s kind of scary.

 

Not that he’d ever admit it, though. 

 

A few minutes later, Shimizu leaves the classroom, closely followed by the teacher. They’re laughing together, like old friends. Tooru had heard somewhere that they actually were old friends. Huh. Apparently, everyone knew everyone, here. What a coincidence. Shimizu smiles, leaving the teacher and Tooru with a quick wave. 

 

The teacher glances at him, and says, “Hey, Tooru.”

 

“Hey, Koushi,” Tooru drawls, and fights the urge to say something sassy. Koushi always brought out the sassiness in him, he could never help it. He stands up and slings an arm around his old friends without leaving the hallway. Yup, definitely a coincidence. Everyone really  _ does _ know everyone. “How’s my little Shouyou doing in class?”

 

The two parents left in the chairs glance at them, but don’t say anything. Koushi just rolls his eyes and shrugs Tooru’s arm off. Before they can go into the classroom, Tooru digs through the backpack again for an invitation. He hands it to Koushi, who immediately understands. “Ah, is this the invitation for the wedding Shimizu mentioned? Is Shouyou really going to marry Tobio, of all kids? They hated each other up until a month or two ago, you know.”

 

“I know, it’s incredibly how quickly they mature, huh?” Tooru laughs, shoving at Koushi playfully. He feels someone staring at him, and he turns to see the (big, scary, muscular) father glaring at him. Tooru wants to say something, to call him out, but doesn’t. Instead, he tells Koushi, “You’re invited, you know. Daichi, too. Be there or be square. It’ll be one heck of a wedding.”

 

The father scoffs, and Tooru can actually pinpoint the second everything goes to hell. It’s the second after the scoff, when the dad huffs and opens his mouth to say something rude. Even the nervous looking woman next to him knows something’s gonna happen. Oh, yep, there it goes. “Mr. Sugawara, you really think you should be teaching something so unhealthy at this age? A  _ wedding, _ between  _ two boys?  _ Disgusting, and unnatural. You should be ashamed of yourself, calling yourself a teacher. _ ” _

 

Tooru has to physically tell himself to breathe. Did this jackass really just say something so utterly ignorant? He thought this type of shit was behind him, but apparently not. He turns to face the angry dad, ignoring Koushi’s plea to  _ please stop it, _ and he’s ready to rip this guy to shreds. 

 

He doesn’t get the chance.

 

The young woman, still sitting quietly in the chair, beats him to it. She completely sheds her nerves, and honestly, she gives off the aura of an entirely different person. Turning to face the dad two chairs down, she scoffs and crosses her arms. Tooru doesn’t know this woman, but he suddenly feels like he disappointed her. He’s glad he’s not on the receiving end of that glare and crossed arm combination. 

 

“Really? You’re going to say something that ignorant to a teacher that gives his life to help our kids learn and be the best that they can be?” The young mother says, and, wow, she’s mastered the art of the disappointing glare. Tooru feels like he’s being scolded by his mother, all over again. But this time, he’s actually _loving_ it. She crosses her legs, too, and her heels make an intimidating clicking noise on the floor. “Who cares what they’re doing? It’s their life, and it’s not effecting you in any way at all. Koushi’s teaching basic math and reading, not marriage, sex or love to your son. But maybe he should be. At least that way your son would understand what true love and acceptance is, because he sure as _hell_ won’t learn it from _you.”_

 

Tooru can feel his jaw drop. He has to hold himself back from saying  _ do you need some ice for that burn? _ and looking like a student rather than a parent. Koushi is staring, too, and his mouth is hanging open. With that, Tooru really, really wants to say the line, but the mother did more than enough, he thinks. 

 

Especially when the man turns red and stomps off, kicking at a locker. 

 

Without a word, Tooru grabs an invitation from the backpack and extends it to the young woman. She stares at it for a second, obviously confused. He smiles gratefully at her and says, “With that display, I think it’s easy to say that you’re invited to the wedding. What’s your name?”

 

“Oh, um, I’m Hana. I’m Kei’s mother. It’s nice to meet you,” Hana mumbles, immediately back to her shy self. She’s blushing, though, so that’s probably a good sign. Carefully, she takes the invitation from Tooru and stares at it. It’s obvious she’s happy, and that makes Tooru happy, too. Hana looks back up, and beams. “Thank you, for this. Kei is cold and doesn’t make friends easily, so I think this is a good thing for us. For him.”

 

Koushi smiles, too, and his dimple shows. He slings an arm around both parents, and pull them into a sort of group hug. He jokes, “No wonder you took that guy down, you’re Kei’s mom. Makes sense. You’ve got to have a lot of courage and refuse to be walked over to be that boy’s mother.”

 

“Yes, pretty much. He got that from his father, he can say things that are hurtful without realizing. Sometimes, he realizes, and doesn’t care. That’s even worse,” Hana winces, but laughs. Koushi makes a good point. She sighs, and looks at the clock on the wall. “I have to be going now, I think this was good enough for a parent-teacher conference, don’t you think? I’m even leaving with a souvenir.”

 

Tooru and Koushi both laugh, and nod. They exchange numbers, just in case, and then they say goodbye. Only Tooru is left with Koushi, and there shouldn’t be anymore parents coming. He had the second to last slot, after all, and the person with the last slot just left. 

 

“So, you’ll be there, right? You know Shouyou loves you,” Tooru comments off-handedly. He doesn’t want to seem desperate, but Shouyou really does adore his teacher. “If you come, then Daichi comes. It’s a two for one deal, and Shou loves attention. We all know that.”

 

Koushi rolls his eyes and leans against the wall. He waits a second, just to annoy Tooru, then, “Don’t you have better things to be doing than insulting your own kid for loving attention?”

 

“How was that an insult? If anything, it’s a compliment, because you know where he gets it from,” Tooru says, wiggling his eyebrows at his friend. It’s supposed to look cool, but just ends up looking dumb. Koushi laughs, and really, he’s beautiful. Tooru can see how he would be attractive; Daichi’s a lucky guy. 

 

“Maybe the fact that I  _ do _ know where he got it from is the problem, Tooru,” he grumbles, punching Tooru playfully. He fakes pain, howling that  _ ow, Koushi, that hurt! _ Koushi knows better, though. This damn drama queen. 

 

“Don’t say that, you know you love me!”

 

“Do I?”

 

“Yup. You do.”

 

“Ah, I didn’t know.”

 

“Well, yes, obviously you love me, so make sure to come to the wedding. Shouyou will throw a fit if you don’t show up, and honestly, I will too,” Tooru threatens, but it comes off more funny than anything. Koushi rolls his eyes again. “I don’t think any of us will want to see a father son duo temper tantrum, do you?”

 

“Oh my god, fine, Tooru, I’ll be there. My gosh, you’re so dramatic,” Koushi whines, completely ignoring the hug Tooru tried to force on him. He shoves his friend off him, and asks, “Who else did you invite? I know I’m a VIP, but there’s got to be regular civilians you invited, right?”

 

Tooru grins and hangs himself on Koushi, his arms limply hanging over his friend’s shoulders. At this point, Koushi’s pretty much given up. When Tooru wants to be a clingy koala, there’s no stopping it. It’s just better to go along with it. 

 

“Of course you’re a VIP, but you’re right, I invited a lot of people. The party’s gotta be off the hook, obviously,” Tooru says, and laughs when Koushi cringes at the use of  _ off the hook. _ It wasn’t 2001 anymore, no one ever used that phrase. Except Tooru, that old fart loved to use old words unironically. “I invited Hitoka and her mom, Hajime’s mother, along with Kenma and Keiji from my work. I want to invite Tadashi and his dad, but I haven’t seen them recently.”

 

“I can give them the invitation tomorrow, if you want,” Koushi says, easily taking an invitation out of the backpack without asking. He grins, and Tooru doesn’t question it. “Makoto and Tadashi’s parent-teacher conference is tomorrow, so I’ll see them then. Did you invite anyone else?”

 

“Koutarou is invited, only because he promised he wouldn’t fuck anything up,” Tooru says. He gasps, and covers his mouth when he realized he dropped the f-bomb in an elementary school. Smiling apologetically at Koushi, he continues, “I told him, very specifically, that Daichi is going to be there, and he’s bringing his no tolerance, principal self. You know Daichi is one of the only people Kou listens to.”

 

Koushi chuckles, hiding his laughter behind a hand. He nods. They both know that fact very well. He sighs, and wonders aloud, “Is that another reason that I need to be there? So Daichi comes, too, and makes sure Koutarou doesn’t do anything stupid? Like, for example, re-enact the entire  _ Wedding Crashers _ movie?”

 

“Exactly.”

 

“Ridiculous,” Koushi says jokingly, but he’s dead serious when he promises, “We’ll be there.”


	4. stupid realizations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the long wait (again, lol) but this is an important chapter (tooru realizes some things ^_^ ) i hope you'll forgive me~  
> tbh this chapter is just self-indulgent character setting bc i love kenma and keiji i wanted them somewhere here... lol there’s not a lot about the wedding but rather the characters… idk if that makes sense. there’s a lot of getting to know tooru and the inside of his mind (actually very self conscious)  
> anyway the next chapter will be the wedding!  
> also for some reason i feel like the characters are a bit ooc here (hajime in particular) and i’m not sure why… if you notice anything glaringly obvious please comment about it & i’ll definitely go back and fix it.

  
  


“You got a _what?_ ” Koushi’s voice comes blaring through the phone, sounding even more exasperated than usual. Tooru blames it on the phone, because obviously it couldn’t be because of him. There’s a deep breath, Koushi calming himself, probably, and then, “Are you telling me you actually rented out a _gazebo_ for a _five year old’s_ wedding?”

 

Tooru shrugs, as if the movement could be seen, but doesn’t deny the accusation. The silence from the phone is an obvious _yes, he did rent out a gazebo_ , and Koushi bursts into laughter. He even has the gall to _snort_ and still not sound stupid. Ridiculous. After what seems like an eternity (ten seconds), Tooru grumbles and asks, “Are you done yet?”

 

“Yes, yes, I’m done laughing at you. I would apologize but I’m not sorry at all,” Koushi chuckles into the phone, and then sighs. They’re quiet for a second, and something heartfelt is coming, Tooru can feel it. Koushi’s just trying to figure out the right words. Eventually, he says, “Really, Tooru, I might laugh at the length you’re going for this wedding, but it’s kind of … admirable. You’re doing all of this for Shouyou, who is happy about this every step of the way. Not to mention it’s helping bring Tobio out of his shell. So. What do you need me to do?”

 

Tooru takes a second to process what his friend had said. He’s still stuck on the fact that, somehow, this dramatic little kid wedding is _“admirable,”_ but then his brain finally catches up. “You want to help? Weren’t you just laughing at me?”

 

“I was laughing _with_ you, obviously.”

 

“Yeah, right.”

 

“You’re right, that was a lie, I was laughing at you. But seriously, what do I need to do? I want to help with this wedding in any way I can,” Koushi says, and, wow, Tooru’s really hit the jackpot of friendships. “I can hand out more invitations to the families in my class. Only the ones I deem appropriate, of course.”

 

“Of course,” Tooru echoes, and smiles. He quickly racks his brain for anything that Koushi could help with, but nothing comes to mind. Most of the planning had been finished already ( _with Hajime!_ ) and set into motion. They even knew that Hajime’s friend, Tetsurou, would barbeque for everyone. “There’s nothing left that I can think of, but that sounds good. I wouldn’t mind having more kids, since I didn’t exactly go around to random kids at the park and invite them to a wedding.”

 

“I’m _so_ glad you didn’t do that.”

 

Tooru snorts and covers his face in embarrassment. He huffs and shakes his head, bringing the phone back to his ear. “No kidding. That’d be pretty bad, right? I’m too pretty for jail, you know.”

 

“I don’t know about _that,_ but I don’t really see you and jail mixing all that well. Anyways, if you drop some invitations off, I’ll give them to my kids. Text me whenever, but I have to go. Lunch break’s over, the kids are coming back. I’ll see you later.”

 

“Alright, see you.”

 

Tooru shoves his phone back into his pocket, and stretches. After a frankly satisfying pop from his back, he stands and decides he wants attention. A rather easy task, especially at work, where no one is allowed to ignore him. Y’know, since he’s pretty much the king (boss).

 

The first target is the skittish magazine digital producer on the lower floor. Tooru hums to himself, deciding to use the stairs so he can slam the stairwell door open with flair. It’s a great plan, except that no one’s in the hallway to see him. Tooru pouts and makes his way to the first target’s small office. He leans on the side of the doorframe, watches the terrible hair dye job hunched over a tablet for a while, and says, “Here, kitty, kitty.”

 

Kenma jerks upwards, turning in his swivel chair to face Tooru. It’s not a nickname he wanted, really, but it became a habit to respond to kitty. Especially when Tooru says it. Apparently, everyone tells him he has eyes that look like a cat, but he always denies it.

 

He stretches -- _just like a cat, Tooru thinks_ \-- and hangs his arm over the chair. He just stares at Tooru for a bit before yawning and finally asking, “What do you need, Tooru? I’m busy.”

 

“Attention, obviously.”

 

“Well, besides that,” Kenma drawls, his lips quirking up into some type of smile. He reaches back for his tablet and puts it in his lap, fiddling with it for a moment. “No, but really. What are you here for?”

 

“Can’t I just want to see my favorite magazine designer?” Tooru whines, sliding down the doorframe to sit on the floor. It’s probably a bit dirty, but he doesn’t care, he looked really cool doing that.

 

Kenma tilts his head. “I thought Keiji was your favorite.”

 

“I don’t play favorites,” Tooru says, but the smile threatening at his lips says otherwise. He purposefully frowns and waves his hand in the air, obviously dismissing such an accusation. “But even if I _did_ play favorites -- you know, theoretically, -- he’s a writer for the magazine, not a digital designer. So he’s my favorite writer, and you’re my favorite designer. Ta da!”

 

Kenma looks down at him skeptically, but shakes his head. There’s nothing he can prove, especially when Tooru technically _is_ his boss. Instead, he goes back to his original question. “The answer is no, by the way, you can’t just see me. What do you want?”

 

Tooru’s quiet for a bit, even standing up and finding a chair without a word. It’s weird, and makes Kenma feel more uncomfortable than if he was rambling. He knows what’s coming. Kenma’s rejected him several times, but he always comes back, asking the same thing: _“Come upstairs and work --”_

 

“-- for me,” Tooru cuts in, and Kenma realizes that the thoughts were actually _him._ Tooru watches Kenma carefully, and says, “I don’t know why you won’t come up. We both know you’re amazing, especially with accessories. Why are you stuck down here?”

 

Kenma knows exactly why he doesn’t want to, but he’s got to wonder, what is he really missing? Even Keiji had fallen prey to Tooru’s hawk eyes for talent, and he’s been creating some outfits that are actually really good outside of the magazine. Kenma takes a deep breath, one, two, and finally mumbles, “There are too many people up there. It makes me anxious.”

 

“Is that all it is?” Tooru laughs, he actually laughs, and Kenma shrinks back, offended. Was his boss not taking his anxiety seriously? Kenma expected more from him. He’s about to turn away, immerse himself back in the tablet to get out of the situation, when Tooru smiles and pats his head. “If that’s all it is, then you can stay here, but still work for me. You can also use my office at any time, like, if you … need to get away.”

 

It takes a while for that to process in Kenma’s brain. When it does, his lips twitch upwards, and neither of them says anything for a long time. Then, Kenma just nods and full-on _smiles,_ so Tooru takes that as an affirmative. Tooru opens his arms for a hug, asking for permission, and Kenma moves into the hug. A rare occurrence that just boosts Tooru’s ego, which Kenma quickly calls him out on.

 

“Don’t get cocky now, it’s just a hug.”

 

“Me, cocky? Never.”

 

When they finally end the hug -- rather quickly, actually -- Tooru stands at the doorway again. He’s trying to look nonchalant, but it’s not working on Kenma. Damn him and his cat eyes. Instead of drawing it out, he plainly says, “By the way, you know how you’re invited to Shouyou’s wedding? Well, you’re also going to be picking out accessories for the tuxedo with Keiji. Bye!”

 

He’s gone before Kenma can even say anything, sprinting up the stairs to safety. Tooru breathes heavily at the top, a hand on his chest. Mission complete. Since Kenma didn’t have time to refuse, he’s pretty much required to do it, right? Tooru hopes so. He wants the best for this little kid wedding, and Kenma and Keiji are the best.

 

* * *

 

 

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” Hajime says, sliding into the chair across from Tooru. He piles all of his papers onto the table and stretches. “I had to make sure I had everything we needed.”

 

Tooru just smiles, leaning his head against his hand, propped up on an elbow. With his other hand, he slides the second coffee he bought towards Hajime. He seems to appreciate it. Good. Except now Tooru’s not said anything in a while and -- oh god -- he probably looks weird. He hasn’t said anything at all, not even a hello. He coughs, and stutters, “Are we missing anything?”

 

Hajime looks confused, like he wants to ask something, but doesn’t. He shuffles through his papers, making sure not to get a coffee stain on them. “Actually, we seem to have almost everything finished. The only thing we need to do is discuss the guest list, and get tuxedos for the kids.”

 

“Is that all? Well, with my help, the tuxedos should be a breeze, only…” Tooru trails off, but he’s got Hajime’s attention. An eyebrow quirks up curiously, and Tooru takes that as his cue to keep going, “Only if you promise to let me do all the choosing.”

 

Hajime groans, and puts a hand to his face. If he’s not imagining it, Tooru thinks he can even see the color actually drain from his face. He can’t help it, he laughs. Hajime looks back up, looking emotionally constipated for a second. However, he does give up, and going against all of his instincts, says, “I promise.”

 

“Pinkie promise?” Tooru jokes, holding out his pinkie. He completely expects Hajime to laugh it off, ignore the pinkie that’s held out for him. Tooru starts to bring his pinkie back, but Hajime doesn’t let him. He hooks their pinkies together and grins.

 

He even does the second half of the promise, pressing their thumbs together. Tooru stares at their hands, kind of freaking out that they’re technically _holding hands._ He looks back up when Hajime clears his throat, and with complete seriousness, says, “Pinkie promise.”

 

Tooru doesn’t know why this means so much to him, but it does. It really, really does. He feels like he’s been transported back to elementary school, and he’s doing the equivalent of holding hands with his crush. Maybe he never really grew up. At least, that’s what everyone tells him, even now.

 

_Grow up!_

 

Hajime untangles their hands, bringing Tooru back to the present. As he rustles through his papers -- something about writing a guest list? -- a thought occurs to Tooru. Well, not so much occurs to him as hits him like a freight train. Is Hajime going to stop being his friend after the wedding? He is, right? There will be no reason to stay with him, doing things like this together. Suddenly, Tooru doesn’t feel so good. Luckily, he’s mastered the art of faking his bubbly personality and pretending like everything’s fine.

 

With a smile, Tooru sits up straight, and taps his fingers on the table. He even teases, “Wow, you’re really organized. The papers are even color coded. Are you sure you don’t work at a Staples or Office Depot?”

 

“I’m pretty sure, unless the skyscraper I walk into everyday is just a _really_ fancy Office Depot,” Hajime shoots back, completely comfortable with teasing back. Tooru actually laughs, he’s not sure why, but the image of a skyscraper Office Depot is funny to imagine. Hajime looks like he’s proud of himself, but he asks, “Are you laughing because that was actually funny or because you feel bad for me?”

 

“Hmm… how about both?” Tooru answers, another smile pulling at his mouth. Was being funny something hard or unexpected for Hajime? That is _so_ cute. Tooru’s about to start flirting with him again, except he remembers that this will go nowhere. Focus on the wedding, he tells himself. He straightens up, plasters a fake, professional smile on his face, and says, “Let’s finish up the guest list. Who did you invite?”

 

Ten minutes later, with lots of scribbles and crossed out names, they come up with a final guest list. It’s actually surprisingly a lot of people that are coming, once they see it written out. Tooru doesn’t even slip out of professional mode once, though he thinks there are cracks in his act. He’s noticed that Hajime keeps looking at him weird, like he wants to ask something, but he never does.

 

They just work.

 

When Tooru is rewriting the names on a new piece of paper, Hajime clears his throat. He doesn’t stop writing. His pen only stops moving when he’s finished, but he doesn’t meet Hajime’s eyes.

 

“Tooru.”

 

At the sound of his name, he can’t help but look up. Hajime looks pained, like he remembered a bad memory, or some type of emotional pain. Tooru thought he told himself he would never make Hajime look like that again. Not after the expression Hajime had while telling Tooru about Tobio and his mother. Never again, Tooru never wanted to see that expression again, never wanted to be the cause of it again.

 

So _why_ did Hajime look like that?

 

“Tooru, are you…” Hajime trails off, not sure what to say. He’s still looking pained, and somehow it _has_ to be Tooru’s fault. He hates it. Hajime shakes his head, and tries for a smile. It doesn’t quite make his eyes crinkle, like they should. He speaks again, “Tooru, do you want to go shopping for tuxedos together?”

 

A pause. Then, “With the kids?”

 

“No, just us,” Hajime says, smiling softly. The smile still doesn’t make his eyes crinkle, but at least it’s better than the fake smile and pained expressions. “I’m sure we both know our kid’s measurements, right? I can have my mom pick Tobio and Shouyou up, so we don’t have to worry about that. They can have a playdate.”

 

Tooru looks skeptical, but not for the reason Hajime probably thinks. He’s not sure he can go shopping with Hajime, alone, and still be able to let him go without complaint after the wedding.

 

Unfortunately, Hajime’s already got him figured out. He knows what to offer to make Tooru want to come. He leans forward, probably to be just as dramatic as Tooru, and looks both ways to make sure no one is listening. What an idiot. He grins, and says, “What if I buy you dinner at the food court?”

 

 _“Anything_ at the food court?” Tooru asks, and Hajime nods. “No judging?” Nod. “Even the ice cream after dinner?” Nod. “What if I just have 10 pretzels for dinner?” A final nod, and a smile that finally makes his eyes crinkle. Tooru’s satisfied with these answers, the smile, too, and drawls, “Well, if you insist.”

 

Hajime snorts, like he expected nothing less from the most dramatic person around. _Well, if you insist._ What a line, after making sure everything would go his way.

 

Tooru finishes up the coffee he had pretty much forgotten about, and Hajime organizes all the papers to put on a clipboard. Hajime’s the first to stand, and Tooru just about combusts when he holds his hand out for him to take. “Shall we?”

 

_Shall we? Shall we? Shall --_

 

Tooru doesn’t understand what was said, he wasn’t listening. He’s only focusing on Hajime’s outstretched hand across the table, smiling down at him from above. Somehow, Tooru’s been transferred into a fairy tale, and Hajime is a prince, holding his hand out for his princess. Is he extending his hand for Tooru to take _with his own hand?_ Is that what this is? Are they comfortable enough to hold hands since they did a pinkie promise?

 

_What is this?_

 

Hajime’s soft, prince-smile droops, and eventually turns into confusion. The confusion turns into worry, and Hajime asks, “Are you okay? I asked if I could take your empty coffee cup. Was there something in there? Are you allergic to anything? Tooru, what’s going on?”

 

_Oh._

 

_He didn’t want to hold hands._

 

_He was asking for Tooru’s empty coffee cup._

 

_Ah._

 

_That makes sense._

 

_More sense._

 

“I’m okay, I’m fine,” Tooru says quickly, standing up. He doesn’t give the coffee cup away, and throws it away on his own. Hajime doesn’t look convinced, but he does retract his hand. “I’m fine, I promise. I just zoned out a little bit.”

 

More like a whole lot.

 

“If you don’t feel good, we don’t have to go shopping tonight,” Hajime says, obviously still worried. He puts a hand on Tooru’s back and leads him outside. Fresh air, maybe. “We can always go some other time.”

 

“No!” Tooru exclaimed, probably a bit too loud for the situation. He stomps down the feeling of embarrassment and, softer this time, says, “No, I’m okay. I want to go shopping with you. Really.”

 

“Well, if you insist,” Hajime says, trying not to smile. It takes Tooru a second to get that he was teasing, quoting what Tooru had just said. When he gets it, he chuckles, and Hajime’s looking proud of himself again. Something occurs to Tooru. Since when did he start seeming proud of himself when he made Tooru laugh? He didn’t look proud the first day they met, in the principal’s room, joking about what they were “in for.”

 

He doesn’t get the chance to think much about it. Hajime’s grabbing his wrist and dragging him to his own car. “We’re not going to get anywhere if you keep spacing out, and I definitely don’t want to be in your car when you space out. I’ll drive. Where to, Oh Master of Fashion?”

 

Tooru snorts. He wasn’t just the master of fashion, he’s something higher. _What’s higher ranked than master?_ He doesn’t think much of it, even if he did, he wouldn’t say it out loud. There’s a wall going up between them, and a retort would halt construction. Tooru needs the wall as soon as possible, or he’s going to be a mess when Hajime inevitably leaves after the wedding.

 

They slide into the car -- a nice one, Tooru needs to remember to ask where he works -- and, yup, the silence is going to kill him. He can feel himself falling into a state of over-thinking, and that’s not pretty at all. God knows his thoughts get out of hand when he’s not able to corral them back in.

 

Hajime navigates his way out of the parking garage, and Tooru basically throws himself at the radio. He turns it on, and immediately relaxes when music comes on, and it’s not so terribly silent anymore.

 

Usually, if Tooru let himself be him, he’d crack a joke, something to end the tension. He’s not sure why the atmosphere changed so much from the coffee shop into the car, but he hates it. Instead, he stares forward, trying to get rid of all the ugly thoughts that have reared their head. He had assumed that Hajime would do the same. Maybe be comfortable in the silence, even. That’s what Tooru had thought, and he believed it; he’s always been able to take one look at someone and know every facet about them.

 

Hajime’s different. Tooru can’t look at him and immediately understand him, when he should be able to. They have much more in common than the people Tooru usually dissects. So why is Hajime so hard to understand? Why is he such a paradox? Worse, why does Tooru want to figure him out, more than anyone he’s ever met?

 

Oh, yup, here comes the over-thinking.

 

His assumption that Hajime would be comfortable in the silence went out the window when he started talking. Albeit an awkward start to a conversation, but a conversation nonetheless. Yet again, Hajime’s thrown Tooru off, defying his expectations, confusing him over and over again.

 

It gets worse -- or is it better? -- when Hajime doesn’t take Tooru’s obvious silence as a reason to stop talking. Instead, he does exactly the opposite of what Tooru wanted, what he expected. Like Hajime knows Tooru is trying to put up a wall, he breaks it down.

 

With a joke.

 

At a red light, Hajime turns to Tooru with a mischievous smile that makes him unfairly attractive. Tooru isn’t sure he wants to know where this is going, not when he’s trying to distance himself, when he knows this friendship won’t last. Hajime grins, and jokes, “So, Tooru. You come here often?”

 

Tooru’s mouth quirks into a smile, and laughter bubbles out of him, totally against his will. Slapping a hand over his mouth, he can’t believe he laughed at another joke from Hajime. Unbelievable, where had his acting skills gone? He wanted to be normal, quiet, like everyone else, but he’s already laughed twice even when he didn’t want to.

 

It’s difficult to distance himself from Hajime when Hajime keeps bringing him back. It’s difficult when Hajime seems to understand more about Tooru than he understands about Hajime. It’s difficult when everything Hajime does makes Tooru want to stay, when everything Hajime does is endearing, when everything he says is funny, even if it _isn’t._

 

He dares to sneak a peek of Hajime, and he’s surprised to see a weird expression. A mix of -- what’s a better word for sadness? -- wistfulness, and the same proud expression he had earlier. It doesn’t make him feel better. In fact, he feels even worse than before.

 

The promise Tooru had told himself, that he’d never be the cause of sadness for Hajime comes hurling back to him. Tooru feels like throwing up. He promised that, that he’d be the one making Hajime smile. But it’s the opposite, Hajime’s trying his best to cheer Tooru up, for whatever reason.

 

Only then, Tooru finally understands that Hajime’s trying to make him feel better, and god, if Tooru let himself, he’d be the happiest person. He’d be happy just having Hajime next to him, if they were shopping, or if they were just eating together. Hajime doesn’t have to try his best to cheer Tooru up, because he doesn’t have to try at all.

 

Hajime makes him happy.

 

Like the heavens had opened from that single thought, _Hajime makes him happy,_ everything suddenly makes sense. Life made sense. He understands. He gets it. At 2:14pm, on a random Wednesday, sitting in Hajime’s car, Tooru realizes three things.

 

One: he’s falling for Hajime. The desperate feeling of fear from being left behind isn’t just from friendship, but also from the deeper affection he didn’t know he had. It’s there, and he’s got it bad already. He’s fallen far.

 

Two: it’s suddenly really, really hot in the car, what the hell, it wasn’t this hot two minutes ago. How do you roll these windows down, are these windows on _child lock?_ Is the heater on, oh my god, the seat is totally sweaty now. Gross.

 

The third thing?

 

He’s utterly, absolutely, incredibly, royally _screwed._

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here’s the guest list, just because i want to share it but i didn’t want to put it at the end of the story bc i feel like it ends so well there!! if there’s an & sign that means they’re a family (i.e. mom/dad & daughter/son), if there’s a + that means they’re a couple.  
> Tooru & Shouyou  
> Hajime & Tobio  
> Hajime’s mother, Minie  
> Daichi + Koushi  
> Shimizu & Hitoka  
> Yui & Shinji & Shigeru & Akira  
> Hana + Yuuji & Kei  
> Makoto & Tadashi  
> Tetsurou  
> Koutarou  
> Kenma  
> Keiji  
> Asahi  
> Chikara + Kenji & Yuu & Ryu  
> Kazuhito + Hisashi  
> Issei + Takahiro & Yutarou  
> Yukie + Akinori & Kaori  
> Saeko + Akiteru  
> omg there’s so many people im probably not even going to include tbh i just wanted to show off my list of people in my mind (and promote my ships… yikes @ chikara + kenji and yukie + akinori lmao) ALSO POOR YUI lmao i gave her 3 seijou boys at least shinji is well behaved n akira is just quiet


	5. t-minus one second

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello im sorry this took so long and im not going to lie to you itll probably be a while until the next chapter. but at least ive got everything planned out and i finally know the exact number of chapters i have left. (2). so there will be 7 chapters in total, with the 7th being an epilogue
> 
> this is kinda shorter than usual so sorry about that, hopefully the next chapter for the climax/bringing everything together will be much much longer. i want to get to at least 25k words haha anyways
> 
> thanks for sticking w/ me you guys...

 

_ The day of the wedding:  _

 

_ T-minus two hours, eleven minutes, and fifty-two seconds.  _

  
  


“Daddy, stop!” Shouyou pouts and whines, swatting his father’s hands away from his hair. His wedding is in two hours and his dad won’t quit messing with his hair. It’s obnoxious and all he wants to do is finish coloring his picture. “It’s fine, I’m fine, leave it alone! Stop it!”

 

“But I want to make sure you look amazing,” Tooru says, beginning to mess with the tuxedo instead. Shouyou just huffs, enduring it. If only for the sake of looking good. For his wedding. Right. “You want to look good for Tobio, right?”

 

A nod.

 

“Well, good, because you look very handsome,” Tooru grins. He pats his son on the head, and smooths out any crinkles in the mini tuxedo. This entire thing really isn’t a big deal, but he feels like a parent with their kid going to prom. 

 

It’s  _ horrible. _

 

But, he also wants to take a billion pictures.

 

Tooru adjusts the bowtie, and suddenly, everything’s done. Shouyou is dressed, ready to go, everything related to the wedding is finished. It’s a great feeling, not having to worry about the little details. Tooru can take his time and pretend it’s Shouyou’s actual wedding, and have some fun with it.

 

“Picture time!”

 

“Daddy, no!” Shouyou complains, but he knows better to go against his father when he gets excited. There’s no stopping Tooru when it comes to fashion. Even his own son. Honestly, it’s easier to just go along with it. So he does.

 

He throws a peace sign up and poses.

  
  


_ T-minus one hour, seven minutes, and ten seconds.  _

  
  


Tooru and Shouyou arrive at the park much earlier than needed, if only to ease Tooru’s worries. Something  _ always _ goes wrong, and he wants to be ready. They meet up with Tetsurou, who’s lugging a giant box of hotdogs and hamburgers. Perfect. Together, they all go to the gazebo. Shouyou even helps by holding a package of buns. 

 

It’s adorable, if he does say so himself.

 

Everything on site seems to be in check -- the gazebo is clean, their reservation name is on it, the barbeque pit works, there’s even enough picnic tables for everyone they invited. 

 

Tooru feels good about this. All the nerves he previously had are gone. Judging by the amount of fidgeting and jumping around Shouyou’s doing, he’s feeling pretty good, too. 

 

Tetsurou chases Shouyou around for a bit, squealing and yelling together. Tooru watches from a picnic table, and suddenly, he’s glad he took this wedding seriously. The amount of happiness Shouyou has, it’s almost visible, and it makes Tooru happy too. 

 

If all this pretend wedding does is make Shouyou happy, then it’s worth it. Definitely. Anything that makes Shouyou happy is worth it. When Shouyou is happy, Tooru is happy, and that’s what it means to be family, right?

  
  


_ T-minus forty-three minutes, and twenty-one seconds. _

  
  


Hajime and Tobio arrive just a bit after Tooru and Shouyou. Apparently, Hajime had also been filled to the brim with worries. Tooru walks Hajime through everything he had previously checked, while Tobio stares at Tetsurou with awe. 

 

Shouyou, at first, refuses to play with Tobio -- saying it’s bad luck to see the groom before the wedding. Tetsurou and Hajime glance at Tooru, and he shrugs. So what if they watched a bunch of romantic comedies the night before?

 

After everything’s been deemed appropriate by Hajime, they allow the kids to play on the playground together. The catch: they cannot get their tuxedos dirty. Tooru watches fondly as the two kids dash to the playground. 

 

When Shouyou trips and gets his tuxedo completely muddied up, Tooru just sighs. He just  _ knew _ that was going to happen. Hajime clears his throat and elbows him. Grinning, he pulls out a bag of wet-wipes and they laugh. “You can’t be too prepared, you know!”

 

“You’re an angel in disguise,” Tooru says, jokingly, but he knows he means it. Hajime truly is an angel on earth, always going along with anything related to Shouyou. Tooru isn’t sure he would be doing a wedding to this degree if Hajime hadn’t been into the idea, too. There’s something about having someone else behind his back that makes him feel better. Stronger, even, against all of the criticisms he’s gotten so far. 

 

Hajime doesn’t respond to the joke-turned-real compliment. Instead, he has a content smile on his face, like he’s actually happy Tooru said that. For a split second, Tooru believes that’s true. But the smile on his face isn’t for Tooru, and he deep down, he knows that. Hajime’s eyes are fixed on the playground, where Tobio and Shouyou are playing. The smile is for them.

 

Not Tooru.

 

A moment later, Hajime turns back to Tooru. He’s still smiling, and a part of Tooru desperately wants to think that the smile’s just a bit bigger, a bright brighter, because of him. The smile disappears, and reality comes crashing down, once again. 

 

There’s not much time to wallow in self-pity. Hajime sits up straighter and points across the pavilion. “Tooru, those two people are calling for you. They look like they have a bunch of clothes.”

 

“Where?” Tooru follows Hajime’s hand. Sure enough, Kenma and Keiji are there, looking as beautiful as always. Tooru should have told them to tone the beauty down, otherwise they might take the spotlight from Shouyou. Oh well. That’s not important. What’s important is that his two favorite colleagues are here! Tooru immediately jumps up and runs across the pavilion, screaming, “Kenma! Keiji!”

 

Tooru attempts a running hug with Kenma, who sidesteps him instead. He pouts, and before it can become an all-out drama scene, Keiji pats Tooru on the shoulder. It’s not a hug, but it’s good enough. Keiji sets the box he was holding onto a table and says, “Hi, Tooru. We brought the stuff you asked for.”

 

“Since you said accessories for the tuxedos, we went ahead and brought decorations for the entire wedding,” Kenma adds, looking uninterested as usual. He glances around the color-less gazebo and says, “This place needs some color, anyways, and we didn’t trust anyone else.”

 

“You guys really are the best,” Tooru gushes, wrapping an arm around each of the men. “What a day! Today is going to be incredible, I can feel it!”

 

Kenma shoves the arm off, and steps to rummage through a box. He pulls out a bunched up wad of decorations, and drops it into Tooru’s hands. “Here. We bought and coordinated the colors, but we’re not putting them up alone.”

 

“Good thing I have the perfect person to help you with that!” Tooru says, and disappears from sight. Within a few seconds, he returns, dragging Tetsurou along behind him. “Ta da! Mr. Handy-man Chef will be helping you today!”

 

“I will?”

 

“Yes, you will,” Tooru sing-songs, but Kenma and Keiji knows the truth. It’s a threat. There will be consequences if he doesn’t listen. Luckily, Tetsurou just shrugs, like he doesn’t mind at all. He probably doesn’t -- Hajime had told Tooru that he’s a great guy, willing to help anyone. With a smile, Tooru says, “Tetsurou, these are my two co-workers, friends, and platonic soulmates, Kenma and Keiji.”

 

Kenma snorts, and Keiji echoes, “Platonic soulmates?”

 

Tooru ignores both the interruption and the rejection, keeping along with the introductions. He feels like his mouth is going a mile a minute, and his hands are having trouble keeping up. With a bright, excited grin, he says, “Kenma, Keiji, this is Tetsurou, Hajime’s friend. Please work well together!”

 

“Nice to meet you,” the group replies, and Tetsurou shakes Keiji’s hand. Kenma, for whatever reason, seems hesitant to get along with him. Doesn’t matter, though. They’re grown men, they can figure it out. Tooru has better things to do, it’s not his fault if Tetsurou chooses Kenma as the new target of his (annoying) affections. 

  
  


_ T-minus twenty nine minutes, and five seconds.  _

  
  


The guests start pouring in, and Tooru is amazed at how many people actually came. It’s not a real wedding, and they aren’t the parents, so why are people so excited to come? He supposes the kids rubbed off on them.

 

Hajime is busy watching the kids and cleaning them up, so Tooru took it upon himself to greet all of the guests. Many of the people Tooru recognize, but there are even some he doesn’t. What’s really funny, though, is just how many of the guests are seriously bringing gifts. Sure, most of them are little candies, or school supplies. Stuff like that. 

 

But still -- it’s not a real wedding, they didn’t need to bring gifts.  

 

One couple, a man and a woman Tooru didn’t recognize, brought a spatula and some other dining equipment. The dining equipment was like something straight off of a real wedding registry. Tooru had laughed, and the woman winked at him. Now he  _ really _ needs Hajime to introduce him to all of these interesting people.

 

A while after that couple, a few uncertain guests began to arrive, as well. Tooru isn’t sure why they decided to come if they felt so strongly about a kid’s pretend wedding. Still, they’re here, and they’re asking him a bunch of questions. He can’t seem to get away, so he’s forced to answer them. 

 

The most common: why are you putting so much effort into a little kid wedding?

 

To be completely honest, there’s not a specific answer Tooru can give. This entire extravaganza is something that just kind of … happened. Tooru didn’t go into this thinking,  _ I’m going to throw a huge, real wedding for my five-year-old kid!  _ Rather, he just saw how happy it made Shouyou, and this is how it developed. 

 

So, he told them the truth:

 

“I’m actually having fun working on this, and if it makes my little Shouyou happy, then why not go all out for it? My son deserves the best, and so he’ll get the best. Even if it’s the best damn pretend wedding you’ll ever see.”

 

They didn’t ask any more questions after that.

  
  


_ T-minus ten minutes, and twelve seconds. _

  
  


Tooru’s in the park restroom, watching as Keiji and Kenma arrange the accessories on the two grooms. Shouyou’s smiling brightly, playing with his little boutonniere. Tooru may or may not have felt incredibly satisfied that he already knew the word boutonniere. He stands anxiously at the door, after fixing his son’s tie. There’s nothing he really needs to be doing here, honestly. He’s just being a helicopter parent — but can you blame him? His kid is getting married, after all! 

 

Someone clears their throat, and he turns to see Hajime at the door. He’s grinning like he knows something Tooru doesn’t, and it only gets bigger. Tooru’s yanked out of the bathroom and led to the pavilion. A few seconds later, he’s seated at the front seat, and Hajime’s sitting next to him. That damn grin is still there. 

 

Tooru hates it.

 

The smile that makes him unfairly attractive.

 

Yep, Tooru despises that smile. 

 

“Hey, in-law,” Hajime says, elbowing Tooru maybe a tad too hard. Tooru huffs and rolls his eyes. There is no way he is going to respond to such a silly nickname. They’re not in-laws. Technically, Tobio would be his own in-law, but there isn’t a relation between the two parents! Hmph. He’s elbowed again, and damn it, fine! Tooru glances over, and Hajime is practically glowing. He’s more excited than Tooru, if that's even possible. Hajime quirks an eyebrow and asks, “You ready?”

 

Tooru grimaces. There’s no easy answer to that. Honestly, his emotions are reacting as if this was a real wedding. Especially since so many other people are taking this whole thing seriously. It’s insane. He shrugs, and says, “As ready as I’ll ever be. What about you?”

 

“Oh, I’m  _ ready, _ ” Hajime replies, a glint in his eyes. He’s acting as if he’s preparing for a roller coaster, or maybe a bungee jump. Absolutely ridiculous. It’s cute, because it’s unusual. He doesn’t usually act like this, so it’s obvious how much his son means to him for him to be like this. 

 

Tooru stands, he needs to double check on Shouyou. He doesn’t get far, though, before being yanked back into the chair. “You’re not going anywhere, in-law! We’ve both got to endure this together — and didn’t you know you’re not supposed to see the bride before the wedding?”

 

He laughs, and oh my god, Hajime is so cheesy. Tooru settles into the chair and crosses his arms. So maybe this won’t be too bad, if Hajime’s right next to him. It means they can talk a lot, right? With a dramatic flair, Tooru rolls his eyes and says, “I’m pretty sure that’s not how weddings work. Technically, Tobio and Shouyou aren’t supposed to see each other. Not us.”

 

“Is  _ that _ how it goes?”

 

“Pretty sure,” Tooru responds, and he can’t help but smile. People around them are settling into their seats, and the energy level is consistently rising. It briefly reminds Tooru of right before a movie starts, where everyone quiets down, and the lights dim. How exciting. Even Daichi, who volunteered to be the priest, is standing in position. Tooru isn’t sure whether he wants to laugh or cry. He leans over to Hajime a few minutes later and whispers, “I don’t think I’m ready for this.”

 

Hajime laughs, “You’re fine.”

 

“Really? How do you know that?”

 

“Because you’re a great dad and a strong person,” Hajime tells Tooru, and he’s completely genuine. Tooru is pretty sure that makes him feel worse, not better. How dare he be such a nice person? Hajime chuckles and pulls something out of his pocket. “Plus, I brought tissues.”

 

Tooru can’t believe he’s falling for this idiot.

 

Just kidding. He totally can.

  
  


_ T-minus one second. _

  
  


Suddenly, everyone falls quiet. Tooru can hear the shuffling of everyone turning around, and oh my god, it’s really happening. For whatever reason, both Tobio and Shouyou are walking down the aisle. Tooru won’t bother telling him that this way, they’re both brides, because who cares? It’s their wedding, they can do what they want. 

 

The kids walk down the aisle, holding hands. Shouyou looks incredibly handsome. His hair is tamed, but fashionably windswept, and his suit matches the decorations and flowers well. The accessories really pull everything together, especially the boutonniere. Kenma and Keiji came through, as always. Tobio looks great, too. Someone finally did something about his flat hair, and gave him a colorful outfit. It definitely suits him. 

 

Ha.

 

Suits him. 

 

Suit.

 

Tooru tells himself to shut up. This really isn’t the time to be telling stupid (dad) jokes. Especially since his son, his  _ one and only son _ is arriving at the pedestal with Daichi. Shouyou’s getting married. Sure, it’s a fake wedding, but  _ Shouyou is getting married. _

 

So  _ maybe _ Tooru might need those tissues. Just maybe.

 

Daichi starts his long, priest-y spiel thing, and Tooru can’t help but zone out. There’s just too much to think about. Sure, yeah, he knows Shouyou’s getting married. He’s got that down to a science. In fact, he’s pretty sure there’s a half of his brain dedicated just to freaking out about Shouyou. At least that leaves room for Tooru to think of other things. The other thing he’s thinking about happens to be sitting right next to him. Hajime. 

 

The stupid thoughts about Hajime ditching him after the wedding haven’t gone away over the past week. If anything, they’ve intensified, to the point it almost hurts to hang out with Hajime. Because why be happy if Tooru’s just going to get his heart broken after this?

 

Tooru doesn’t want this — whatever this is — to end here.

 

He doesn’t want the small smirks and stupid jokes to stop. He doesn’t want the confident admiration Hajime tells him every once in awhile. Even of Tooru doesn’t think there’s all that much to like about him, Hajime thinks there is. It’s hard to argue. He doesn’t want to stop sitting next to Hajime on a park bench while their kids play. He doesn’t want the overflowing feeling of friendship and happiness he feels when he’s with Hajime to end.

 

His thoughts are pushed away for a while, just to keep an eye on the wedding. Daichi’s going through some really sweet and romantic oaths. Tobio won’t meet Shouyou’s eyes, he’s too shy, but it’s still obvious there’s a small smile on his face. Tooru glances sideways at Hajime. He’s hunched forwards, a glob of unused tissues in his hand, but he’s so obviously happy. 

 

With that, all the observations of the wedding, Tooru realizes something. Sure, he doesn’t want all the things he thought of before to stop, but that’s not what’s really important. That’s not what he really dreads losing. 

 

Most of all, he doesn’t want the four of them to stop feeling like a family. Tooru had gotten used to it, like they were a family, going out to dinner, seeing movies together. That feeling, that connection, was one Tooru wasn’t sure he had ever felt, and now that he has it, it’s the best thing in the world. 

 

He doesn’t want to let go.

 

Suddenly, Shouyou is saying “I do,” and Tobio is echoing him. They slip ring pops onto each other’s hands (Tooru’s idea) and they hug. Tooru is pretty sure he burst into tears at the first syllable Shouyou spoke, because somehow, there are already tissues in his hand. There’s also another tissue dabbing at his face, but Tooru isn’t moving his hands. 

 

Hajime is gentle with the tissue, carefully avoiding any possible way to hurt Tooru. If that doesn’t scream “family,” then Tooru isn’t sure what does. This type of gentle caring is something he’s never experienced, and he really, truly, doesn’t want it to end. 

 

So, he decides.

 

He decides he won’t let this be the last time. Together, the four of them, will have plenty of outings in the future. Hajime and Tooru will still laugh together. They can watch comfortably as their kids play together, as they grow up. He’s not gonna let it be the end. 

 

Too bad only one idea comes to mind.

 

He’s pretty sure it’s a horrible idea, but it’s the only one he can think of. It’s also the only one that could actually work. The only way to keep their little faux-family together is to find a reason to stay together, and there’s only one reason that always works in the movies. 

 

Love.

 

Tooru is going to ask Hajime on a date. 

 

Holy shit.

 

* * *

An hour later, after mingling with guests and being an over-all amazing host, Tooru is tired. He’s tired of people, and he’s tired of trying to hype himself up. The entire time, he’d been gathering courage to try and ask Hajime on a date. The idea itself is easy, but the actual asking is the hard part. 

 

Unfortunately, the wedding is ending, and people are leaving. Soon enough, it’s just a bunch of close friends and Hajime remaining. Keiji and Kenma are playing with Shouyou, while Tobio tries to talk to Kenma without stuttering. 

 

He’s gotta do it now. There is no later, not when Hajime says they’ll go their separate ways now that the wedding is over. Tooru has got to beat Hajime to the punch. 

 

Tooru pulls Hajime to the side once everyone is occupied with something or other. Hajime is looking confused, probably wondering why they need to be alone. But Tooru won’t let that scare him off. He’s got to do this! If he doesn’t want to lose the feeling of being a family, he’s got to ask Hajime out.

 

So he does.

 

“Do you wanna go on a date?” Tooru asks quickly, his words slurring together slightly. He’s not sure if that helps or hurts his embarrassment level. Tooru avoids Hajime’s gaze. His nails are  _ very _ interesting right now. 

 

“A date?” Hajime echoes, and Tooru is sure his voice sounds annoyed. There’s a few second delay, but Tooru does look up, and oh my god, he really should have kept looking at the ground. Hajime’s face is scrunched up and, oh god, his face has to be scrunched up in disgust. Of course, the very thought of dating a guy — Tooru, especially — would be unappealing to someone like Hajime. They’re total opposites. Tooru must get on his nerves. God, he even gets on his own nerves sometimes. 

 

Hajime opens his mouth to speak again, but Tooru talks quicker. There is no way he’s going to let himself be rejected, not today, during a wonderful time. An idea comes to mind, and Tooru splutters in explanation, “A date! As in … a playdate! For us — I mean — our kids — yeah. A playdate, for our kids. That’s what I meant.”

 

There’s an awkward pause as Hajime processes what was said. Honestly, Tooru is pretty proud of his cover-up. A nice save, for sure. The awkward pause extends for a little longer, until Hajime shrugs. He still looks a bit unsure of the entire thing, but he does eventually accept the offer.

 

They both smile at each other, albeit stiffly, and they return to normal. The interaction almost feels like a loss, but it’s okay. At least Tooru can still be with Hajime. It’s not how he imagined nor hoped this would turn out, but at least for now, it’ll work. 

 

After all, a playdate still has the word “date” in it. 

 

Which is a start, Tooru supposes. 


	6. accidental confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, it is i, back from the dead. it's been 3 months and i left y'all hanging. im sorry. theres no excuse except life, so please forgive me. however, in return, i have the chapter everyone was waiting for. this is the last one, except for a mini epilogue. its really not written as well as i wanted it to be, but i want to post it. maybe later ill go back and make it better, but for now, have this, alright?  
> also yay more kenma and keiji!!! and fashion!!! and tooru being a lovable dork and a conFESSION SCENE

 

 

Tooru didn’t think he’d be going to work on his day off. Yet, here he is, standing on the sidewalk in front of his building. Shouyou’s next to him, excitedly glancing back and forth. They’re waiting for Hajime and Tobio. Surprisingly, when they talked about having a playdate, Tobio shyly requested to see Tooru’s work. When asked the reason Tobio wanted to go there, he scuffed his shoes and admitted, “I want to know about fashion so I can dress myself.”

 

It was funny, but he’s not wrong. Hajime’s got a terrible fashion sense, so no one else is going to do it.

 

“Tobio!” Shouyou screeches, and Tooru turns. Sure enough, the pair are turning the corner. Tobio waves to Shouyou and actually has a skip in his step. Cute. Hajime follows close behind, and waves, too. Tooru thinks he has a skip in his step as well. Like father, like son, apparently.

 

Hajime comes to stand next to Tooru and bumps shoulders while the kids interact. He smiles at Tooru and says, “Fancy meeting you here.”

 

Tooru snorts, and agrees. “Long time no see.”

 

“Right?” Hajime laughs. “It feels like just yesterday we were at our kids’ wedding.”

 

“Well, I mean — we were.”

 

The two men glance at each other, and can’t help but dissolve into laughter. Nothing they said was really all that funny, but they laughed anyway. Shouyou and Tobio look up at the pair, and Shouyou laughs along with them. He’s not sure why they’re laughing, but it’s gotta be something hilarious. Tobio’s just plain confused. “Why are you guys laughing?”

 

“I’ll tell you when you’re older,” Hajime tells Tobio, as an excuse. There’s really no way to explain. He himself doesn’t even know why it’s funny, how would he explain it to someone else? “Let’s go in for the tour, shall we?”

 

Tobio stares at his dad, like he wants to argue more, but he never says anything. Instead, Shouyou grabs his hand and pulls him towards the building. Their parents follow loyally, holding the door open for them. The second they’re through the doors, Tobio gasps.

 

“It’s so shiny!”

 

That’s not what Tooru thought was going to happen, but it still feels good. Even though the building isn’t his, he still feels kind of proud. There’s something about an honest compliment from a little kid that definitely strokes the ego. Must be because kids can’t lie. Tooru knows that for a fact. Every time he’s ever gotten a pimple, Shouyou’s pointed it out immediately.

 

Damn kids.

 

Tooru loves them.

 

Upstairs, the first thing Tooru shows them the digital design floor. The floor doesn’t have as much flair as the actual fashion designing floor, but still. There’s still a lot to see, especially for the magazine. However, the main landmark in the digital design floor is Kenma. Tooru knows Shouyou wants to see Kenma again, and he’s sure Kenma would like Tobio as well. Tooru tells the group to be quiet, and they sneak up on Kenma.

 

“Here, kitty, kitty.”

 

Kenma jumps, and turns to glare at Tooru. When he sees Shouyou, the glare melts into a bright smile and he stands up. He leaves his mini cubicle and bends down in front of Shouyou for a big hug. “Hey, Shouyou. I missed you. I see you brought your friend.”

 

“Kenma! This is Tobio, he’s not just my friend anymore — he’s my husband!” Shouyou announces, pointing at Tobio. Kenma raises an eyebrow, and nods. Of course. How could he forget? He was at the wedding, after all. Shouyou turns in Kenma’s arms and points at Hajime, saying, “This is Uncle Hajime! He’s Tobio’s daddy, and a great guy.”

 

Patting Shouyou on the head, Kenma stands up. He bends down again in front of Tobio and introduces himself. The entire time as Kenma’s talking, Tobio is staring up at him in awe. “Hi, Tobio. I’m Kenma. I was at your wedding, but we haven’t met officially. The same goes for you, Hajime. It’s nice to officially meet you.”

 

Hajime’s about to reply, but Tobio beats him to it. He reaches out and touches Kenma’s dyed hair, and whispers something. Tobio seems kind of wary, but then his eyes light up. Suddenly, he’s asking Kenma a million questions, rapid fire. “Your hair is pretty, how did you do that? How is it two different colors? How long have you know Shouyou? Are you into fashion? What is your color? What color do I look good in? What —”

 

“Slow down there, bud,” Hajime says, ruffling Tobio’s hair. Tobio stops asking questions and takes a deep breath, like he forgot to breathe when he was talking. He looks up at his dad, and then back to Kenma. “It seems he warmed up to you quickly. I’m surprised.”

 

“Really? I’m flattered.”

 

Tooru just watches. What an interesting interaction. He didn’t think that Tobio warmed up to people quickly, except for him. Tooru can’t tell if he’s jealous or proud that Tobio’s changing bit by bit. Kenma smiles as he talks with Tobio and Shouyou, and, wow, he’s beautiful. Sometimes Tooru forgets just how handsome he really is, especially when all that messy hair is in the way. It’s times like these, when Kenma interacts with kids that Tooru knows he’s happy. Tooru’s so glad he’s friends with him.

 

“So, Kenma, Shouyou and I are here today to give a tour to the new additions to the family! Hajime and Tobio can’t be my in-laws if they don’t understand fashion,” Tooru teases, giving an exaggerated once-over on Hajime’s outfit. They all laugh. “I’m hoping this very specific tour will help their fashion sense, and I won’t feel embarrassed being seen with them anymore.”

 

“If that’s the case, then, I suggest talking to Keiji,” Kenma says, leaning against his cubicle wall. “After all, you poached him from the magazine design to make him a fashion designer. Obviously, that means he knows his stuff.”

 

Tobio looks curious. “Come with us!”

 

Kenma’s surprised, but he smiles and nods. Both kids take his hand and he leads the way to the  stairwell. Hajime seems a bit lost, but he goes along with it, considering Tobio is suddenly enamored with Kenma.

 

The tour continues. Tooru points out the rest of the digital design floor, especially all of the cool equipment. The kids don’t seem to care all that much, until they get to the upper floor. Bright colors and new fashion drawings are in offices, and Tobio can’t keep his eyes off of everything. Kenma brings everyone over to the cubicles. More specifically, Keiji’s cubicle.

 

“Knock knock, Keiji,” Kenma says, at the same time that Shouyou jumps into his lap. Keiji doesn’t seem too surprised. “Tooru and I brought you a tour group. This is Tobio, Shouyou’s husband, remember?”

 

“How could I forget?” Keiji replies, and ruffles Tobio’s hair. The kid seems taken aback, but his eyes are wide. He looks back and forth between Keiji and Shouyou, and smiles. “There’s no way I could forget such a cute little husband. Also, Hajime, nice to meet you again. I hope you’ve been well.”

 

Hajime nods, and shakes Keiji’s hand. He looks around the office, and says, “This isn’t what I imagined a fashion magazine office would look like. I was expecting more Devil Wears Prada, not Suits. Where are all of the giant closets with clothes?”

 

Tooru laughs. Kenma and Keiji share a look.

 

“Do you want to see the shoe closet?” Tooru asks. Tobio nods enthusiastically, and Shouyou jumps off of Keiji’s lap. He takes Tobio’s hand and drags him to the giant room down the hallway. Hajime starts to follow, but looks back when Tooru stays behind. “Go ahead. I’ve got to talk with these two about something.”

 

Hajime shrugs. “If you say so.”

 

When Shouyou pushes open the door to the shoe closet, Tooru’s surprised Tobio doesn’t faint. Instead, he gasps, and goes completely still. Shouyou laughs and pulls him further into the giant room. Hajime’s surprised, too. He turns back and shouts, “Now this is what I’m talking about!”

 

So cute.

 

Tooru watches Hajime and Tobio with fondness, while leaning on Keiji’s cubicle. Kenma’s taken Keiji’s desk chair, sprawled out with his attention on his phone. Tobio is having the time of his life in the giant shoe closet. The closet is more like a room, honestly. He’s not really vocal about it, but it’s easy to tell he’s excited. His eyes go wide, and his fingers start to twitch. Tooru wonders when he noticed those quirks.

 

The reason he stayed behind was to ask his co-workers something, but something stops him. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Keiji glance at him, and then down the hallway. It’s easy to see he’s calculating something. He clears his throat, and Tooru turns. Keiji looks back and forth again, and asks, “Do you like him?”

 

Tooru chokes on nothing. Why does Keiji have to be so damn blunt about everything? He’s not wrong, but one would think he’d have the decency to wrap the question in nicer words. Keiji just quirks an eyebrow, and waits for an answer, though the choking on nothing might be the answer.

 

“No, of course not! Why would I like him?” Tooru denies. It’s quiet for a bit, like the silence is judging him. He sighs — he’s never been a good liar. There’s no way he could get that past Keiji; that guy has the eyes of a hawk. Tooru gives up, and decides to come clean. “Is it that obvious?”

 

At the question, Kenma actually looks up. What a surprise. He exchanges a look with Keiji. There’s something about his eyes that are so expressive — Tooru knew exactly what the look was. _Is our boss that oblivious?_ Like they practiced it, in unison they say, “Yes.”

 

Kenma goes back to his phone like nothing happened.

 

Tooru hates his co-workers.

 

A few seconds go by, and Tooru gets himself riled up. _What do they know about his personal life?_ He opens his mouth to retort, probably with a petty remark, but Kenma holds his index finger up. Immediately, Tooru closes his mouth. If Kenma’s about to say something, then he better listen. Keiji’s just watching with amusement.

 

Finally, Kenma puts down his phone and looks back up. A million thoughts run through Tooru’s mind — what does he want to say? Is he going to call Tooru stupid? Or complain about how liking someone isn’t professional? Is he —

 

“— For the record, he likes you too.”

 

Oh.

 

Well, that’s not what he was expecting.

 

Tooru’s mouth opens and closes. He tries to form words, but nothing comes to mind. Keiji takes one look at him and chuckles. Kenma waits patiently for Tooru to organize his thoughts. That should probably feel condescending, but it actually helps. Eventually, Tooru asks, “How do you know?”

 

“Easy. He looks at you,” Kenma responds easily. Tooru still looks confused, so he elaborates. “A lot of people might think you are self centered and arrogant. I mean, you are, but. Not what I meant. The majority of the time, you’re looking at people. Analyzing them. Noticing small things about them. You can see everything about them, but that’s the problem. You’re never looking at yourself, so even if you do see the looks Hajime gives you, you don’t think they’re for you. You forget that you’re someone, too.”

 

The first thought that goes through Tooru’s mind is not something about himself. Instead, it’s about how he thinks Kenma should be a writer instead of a designer. The fact that he thought of someone else first, rather than himself, makes him wonder if Kenma’s right.

 

Is he really that oblivious?

 

“Wow. I think that’s the most I’ve ever heard you say at work,” Keiji teases. Kenma rolls his eyes and ignores him, going back to his phone. Tooru glances at Keiji, as if to ask for his opinion. Keiji shrugs and says, “He’s right. You’re always so observant about other people, but never about yourself.”

 

Leave it to Keiji to sum everything up nicely. He should be a teacher. Tooru bets he would make a wonderful Literature teacher. Wonderful. Instead of facing the reality of what they said, he’s picking out brand new jobs for them. Great. Keiji grabs Kenma’s hand and pulls him away. Within seconds, Tooru’s left alone.

 

Tooru looks back down the hallway. Hajime and Tobio are still having fun with the shoes. Shouyou’s brought a pretty floral dress from somewhere, and he’s trying it on. He pulls it off well. Hajime is trying to walk in heels, which is both endearing and pathetic. Does Tooru remember where the first aid kit is? They might need it, if Hajime’s not careful. All of this is so happy and fun, so why does Tooru’s chest hurt? He should be smiling. He should go over there and laugh along with them. Instead, there’s a sinking feeling in his stomach.

 

His mind tells him that he can’t have this. Whatever this happiness is. He can never have the familial feeling again. Not truly. He may be happy with Shouyou, Hajime, and Tobio, but he can’t make them a family. His mind repeats that to him, over and over.

 

Hajime lifts Shouyou onto his shoulder, his screech audible even from there. They run around the room, the dress flapping in the wind. Shouyou looks happy. Really happy. Tobio is being cute, too. He’s got mismatched sparkly shoes on, and he looks incredibly dorky. All Tooru wants to do is to tease him about it. But they’re not family.

 

God, Tooru wishes they were.

 

 _You can’t. You can’t. You can’t,_ his mind continues.

 

Tooru looks at them being happy, and he smiles, too.

 

He tells his mind to shut up.

 

Shouyou’s laughing. The most he has in a while.

 

Tooru decides his heart is in charge now. His mind only has negative things to say. _They don’t like you. They’re laughing at you. You can’t be happy. You’re a horrible father._ He’s so tired. So tired of negative thoughts. Tooru’s tired of always feeling like shit. He deserves to be happy, right?

 

So, he ignores every thought that opposes, and he joins them in the shoe closet. Shouyou smiles brightly up at him, telling Tooru that he missed him. Out of the corner of his eye, Tooru sees Hajime smiling fondly at him, too. His mind tells him that it’s obviously for Shouyou. He ignores it. Thinking about what his co-workers said, he allows himself to believe the look was for him.

 

The tour pretty much ends there. They spend most of their time in the shoe closet, trying on shoes and other outfits. Tooru even brings his sketches from his office, and proudly shows off the first magazine he ever put together. Tobio’s fascinated. Hajime’s interested too, and keeps complimenting Tooru’s first magazine. It’s so nice to actually feel good about something.

 

Shouyou comes up with the idea to do a fashion show. Everyone is given five minutes, and unlimited access to any of the closets to make their own outfits. Keiji and Kenma are brought in to be judges, and Shigeru to be a tiebreaker. They all walk down the catwalk, and Hajime even manages to look suave in a floral skirt and high heels. Incredible.

  


The judges take their time to talk amongst themselves, and they decide that Tobio is the winner. He had picked a slim black shirt with grey pants, and a light blue scarf. It wasn’t an amazing outfit, but he looked great in it. Also, how could they not give the prize to the most enthusiastic model ever?

 

After the fashion show, Hajime decides it’s probably time to leave. His reasoning is they can’t bother a professional workplace for too long, even though he definitely wants to. The kids pout and whine, but they do follow their parents loyally.

 

Kenma and Keiji see them off, and there’s plenty of hugs to go around. Hajime leans over and whispers to Tooru, “It’s really great to see Tobio warm up to people so much. I’m glad that Tobio met Shouyou. Nothing like this couldn’t have happened without you two. Well, I’m glad that we met you, too.”

 

Tooru’s pretty sure he’s blushing.

 

The group of four walk to the elevators holding hands. Shouyou has both his dad’s and Tobio’s, while Tobio has Shouyou and Hajime’s. It’s kind of cute, they make a line together. Hajime’s asking Tobio how he liked the tour, and if he had fun. Tobio’s grinning his small grin and nodding. He didn’t really learn anything fashion-wise, but he still had fun exploring. What kids don’t like exploring? Not to mention the fashion show. He even won! Of course it was a great day.

 

As they wait for the elevator, Hajime glances over at Tooru. He looks as if he wants to say something, but isn’t sure how. Tooru just raises an eyebrow. Tobio swings his dad’s hand, and Hajime smiles. He gathers his thoughts and says, “We should all get dinner together. At a restaurant. It would be a nice way to end the day, wouldn’t it?”

 

Shouyou immediately begs to go out to dinner. Even Tobio gives Tooru some sort of puppy eyes. It’s not really puppy eyes, coming from him, but it’s a start. All three of them look at him, expectant. Tooru smiles and says, “Sure. Why not?”

 

How could he say no to those faces? There’s something about little kids and their puppy eyes that always get under Tooru’s skin. The elevator opens, and they step in. Like this, discussing what they should have for dinner together, it reminds Tooru of a family. They really, really do. Tooru wants it. He’s got Shouyou, of course. But he wouldn’t mind these two additions. He doubts Shouyou would mind, either.

 

“What do you like?”

 

The question makes Tooru pay attention to the conversation again. For a little bit, he almost forgot they were talking about food. There were better things to think about, to dream about. He opens his mouth to answer _pasta_ , or maybe _chinese_. Neither of those things come out. What does come out, however, is much worse.

 

“You.”

 

Well, shit.

 

 _Is this what they mean by a Freudian slip?_ Thinking about something else so much that the answer is changed to the thought? Tooru wishes he paid more attention in his university psychology class. But even an extensive knowledge of psychology can’t save him now. In fact, nothing can save him now, because they’re in the elevator and Tooru can’t run away.

 

He really, really wants to run away.

 

Both kids must have understood what Tooru said was important, because they were both quiet, looking up at their respective dads. The kids make it worse. As if an accidental confession wasn’t bad enough, his kid is here, too. His kid is here to watch him be rejected. Wonderful.

 

Tooru is 99% sure he fucked up.

 

He doesn’t even bother meeting Hajime’s eyes. There’s no way he can do it. Is it actually possible to die of embarrassment? If so, Tooru thinks that’s what’s happening. He stands there, scuffing his shoes on the ground, waiting for the world to crash down on him. And by the world crashing down, he means Hajime rejecting him.

 

However, that’s not what happens.

 

“Do you want to go on a date?”

 

Well, that’s _definitely not_ what Tooru thought he would hear. At first, he thinks he heard wrong, but no. There isn’t anything that makes more sense. Tooru slowly looks up, finally making eye contact. Hajime looks both amused and sympathetic.

 

Then it occurs to him: they had already been on a date. They were all on a playdate. That’s what Hajime is asking. He wants to know if they can meet up again for the kids. Of course. He doesn’t want an actual date. A playdate. Right. Nothing else.

 

Just to be clear, though, Tooru asks, “A play date?”

 

Hajime shakes his head, a small smile on his face.

  
“A real date.”


	7. epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what up im back from the dead with a rly cute epilogue. i hope everyone enjoys

  
  


 

“Is this where I should change?” Tooru asks no one in particular, as he pushes open the hefty wooden door. He looks around inside, and steps in. Seems nice enough. It’s a normal room in the park ranger’s building, but it’s an actual room, so it’ll work. Tooru turns and calls down the hallway for Shouyou. His nine-year-old son comes barrelling down, holding a suit way above his head. Apparently, Shouyou thinks the park ground is dirty, and he doesn’t want to ruin his dad’s tuxedo.

 

He’s right. It is an outdoor wedding, after all.

 

Shouyou and Tobio had declared themselves wedding planners once they heard Hajime had proposed. Of course, Koushi had stepped in and promised to overlook everything. Up until now, everything about the wedding had been a mystery.

 

Tooru had heard rumors that everyone in the friend group had pitched in. Kenma and Keiji had been in charge of anything fashion and decoration. Tetsurou and Daichi, in charge of technical things, like the priest, chairs, tables, everything of the sort. At the top of the chain, Shouyou and Tobio were in charge. The first thing they decided? Location.

 

It was obvious where their parents had to get married. The same exact park that Shouyou and Tobio had gotten married. With the help of Tetsurou, and Daichi’s planning abilities, they were even able to secure the same gazebo as before. Talk about parallels.

 

“Dad, get dressed! When you’re done, meet me outside, okay?” Shouyou asks, ever the bit of the person in charge. Tooru just laughs, and nods. Shouyou turns to leave, before he forgets something. Turning back around, he reminds his dad, “Remember, you’re not supposed to see Uncle Hajime — I mean, Daddy — until the wedding!”

 

“Alright, alright, just let me change!” Tooru says, shooing his son out of the room. It might seem like his son is bossing him around, but he knows that it’s just excitement. Tooru knows that Tobio is somewhere outside, stressing his life away. Both kids want the wedding to be perfect, and it shows.

 

Tooru first takes the plastic off of his tuxedo and gently lays the clothing over a chair. He quickly undresses, and in no time, he’s all fancied up in his wedding tux. A perfect fit, with the right amount of color, no doubt in thanks to Kenma. It’s sleek, form-fitting to show off his slender body. Tooru admires himself in the full-length mirror that someone had most likely brought.

 

Looking good.

 

He smiles, and models the tuxedo a bit more. Even his butt looks amazing in this. He tells himself he needs to thank Kenma for this one. Messing with his hair and smoothing out his eyeliner, he doubt checks himself for anything he’s missed. Perfect. He opens the door, ready to go find his son. As he closes the door behind him, he hears a rip, and his heart sinks.

 

Tooru grumbles to himself, searching his body for the source of the rip. On his tuxedo jacket, there’s a giant rip on the side from a nail sticking out of the door. Damn it. There’s nothing to fix it with, and the rip is quite noticeable. As if all of his worries finally came crashing down on him, tears begin to spill out, and soon enough, it’s a full on breakdown. No wonder. It’s been awhile since he’s had one, so it’s about time for him to have one.

 

All of his bad thoughts come to the forefront, and they’re louder than ever. His mind is telling him that he’s not good enough for Hajime, that this wedding is a mistake. Tooru shouldn’t be happy, he shouldn’t tie down Hajime, they’d both be better off without him. They’re all thoughts that Tooru knows aren’t true, but he can’t help but wonder. What if? What if the thoughts are right? What if he truly isn’t good enough for Hajime?

 

His tears come more forcefully, and the door opens. Tooru glances up to see Kenma, who looks exactly like a frightened animal. Neither of them talk about the obvious. The only word that is exchanged is a mumbled Hajime from Tooru, and even then, it’s on accident. Tooru _doesn’t_ want Hajime to see him in such a state, but the name was the only thing to come out of his mouth. By the time Tooru tries to tell Kenma to forget it, he’s gone. The door slowly closing is the only sign that anyone was there at all.

 

Within a few minutes, the door creaks open.

 

Hajime.

 

“Don’t you know you’re not supposed to see your significant other before the wedding?” Tooru mumbles into his hands, not even bothering to look up. He wipes at his eyes in an attempt to act like everything’s fine. It doesn’t work, more tears just keep coming. Crying is stupid, he decides. Really stupid.

 

“You were the one who called me in here,” Hajime retorts, half-joking, and half-making a point. The joke falls flat as Tooru glances up, tears still in his eyes. Hajime stiffens, clearly realizing that now really isn’t the time. He kneels in front of his fiancé, wiping the tears away with his thumbs. Tooru smiles slightly, and hiccups as Hajime asks, “Can you tell me what’s wrong?”

 

Tooru shakes his head, and a sob escapes him.

 

“Please? Tooru. Tell me what’s wrong.”

 

Tooru wants to shake his head again, and deny that anything at all is wrong. It’s kind of a give away, though, considering he’s nearly bawling his eyes out. Instead, he opens his mouth to say some sort of excuse, but a wave of words comes bubbling out all at once. “It’s just — I wanted this wedding to be perfect — and it’s not, because I ruined it — I wanted it to be perfect — because I’m not — I’m not perfect, I’m not good enough for you, so — I wanted something to be good enough for you — because… because _I’m not!_ ”

 

The remaining fragments of Tooru’s confidence shatters, and his tears become full-on sobs. He wanted _so badly_ to act like everything’s okay, because that’s what he always does — he puts on a mask, flips his hair, and acts like a confident bastard… and people believed him. Everyone believed him. Everyone, except Hajime, who could see right through him from the beginning. And now he’s here again, breaking down Tooru’s walls, and seeing who he truly is — an absolute mess.

 

Tooru feels an arm around him, and Hajime pulls himself onto the chair. With his other hand, he caresses Tooru’s face gently, turning him so their eyes meet.

 

“Before I say anything else, I want you to know something. The wedding cake could catch on fire, my clothes could all fall off, or no one could show up, and this wedding will still be perfect.  Because I’m marrying _you_. I’m dedicating my entire life to being with you, and that’s all that matters to me. Okay?” Hajime says, softly. He smiles when his fiancé finally nods, and kisses Tooru on the cheek. “For all I care, we could get married at the courthouse in our pajamas. It doesn’t matter. What matters is you, and that I’m marrying you.”

 

Tooru tries to smile, but it falters, just a bit. Of course, Hajime notices. That damn guy. Tooru watches as Hajime glances around the makeshift dressing room, obviously looking for something. He stands up, and comes back with a pair of scissors. Horrified, Tooru can’t look away as Hajime cuts his tie up, as if he’s trying to make a paper snowflake. He also rips his tuxedo pants, and cuts a sleeve off for good measure.

 

“There,” Hajime declares, gesturing at his brand new art project. He glances at Tooru’s ripped jacket, and back down at his own outfit. A smirk blooms on his face as he says, “Now we match, right?”

 

Tooru’s stunned. It takes him a moment to register what happened. When he does, he bursts out into strained laughter. He’s half-crying, half-laughing when he jumps up, and tackles his fiancé into a big hug. Tooru nuzzles his face into the crook of Hajime’s neck and tells him, “You’re an idiot, Hajime. A big, obnoxious, lovable idiot.”

 

“But I’m your idiot, right?” Hajime teases.

 

“Yes, you are,” Tooru agrees — and he couldn’t be more happy about it.

 

The couple stays in the hug for a while, Tooru basking in the feeling of being loved. He had always only had Shouyou, but now he has Hajime, and Tobio. They’re a family. A complete, whole family. Screw anyone who thinks the family should have a mom and a dad, their family is just as normal.

 

Family.

 

“Should we include that I’m your idiot in our vows?”

 

Tooru likes that word.

 

“Let’s go get married, you idiot,” Tooru announces, ending the hug and slinging an arm around his soon-to-be-husband. Hajime smiles at him, and he can’t help but smile back. Swaying back and forth, they stumble out into the hallway, and make their way outside.

 

At the door, Hajime pulls Tooru back, and kisses him. It’s not a kiss that’s worthy of an Oscar, but it’s one full of love, emotion, and warmth. It’s a kiss that tells Tooru they belong together. Both men smile the entire time, and it’s messy, but Tooru loves it. Hajime pulls back, and stares deep into Tooru’s eyes. Many times before he had complimented on how pretty his eyes were, but he has something more important to say.

 

“I love you, you idiot.”

 

“I love you too, idiot.”

 

They dissolve into a fit of giddy giggles. Their laugh echoes down the park ranger building’s hallway, and everything seems a bit brighter. Tooru’s ready to get married. He’s ready to spend the rest of his life with Hajime, and Tobio. He’s ready for his family to be together.

  
With a bright grin, Tooru pulls Hajime out the door. The sun is bright, and it takes a second for their eyes to adjust, but when they do, Tooru’s blown away. It’s beautiful. Their tuxedos might be cut up, but it’s still beautiful. Still perfect. Shouyou and Tobio are waiting happily to lead them down the aisle. All their friends, their family members, their loved ones are there. It makes Tooru blissfully happy — but the happiest thing of all is Hajime’s hand in his own.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHAHA yes i did use the cutting the tie scene from the office BUT FOR GOOD REASON i wanted to show that even fashion, which is a big part of tooru's life, pales in comparison to who he rly loves -- hajime. aww!!! cute!!  
> anyways thanks for staying w/ me for this long ass ride i hope you enjoyed this!


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